


The Curious Curse of Luz Noceda

by wraithao3



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, F/F, be patient you simps, lumity in chapter 8 lmao, no beta read
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:48:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 26,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25294192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wraithao3/pseuds/wraithao3
Summary: Eda heads out of town for a day to find more elixir, after her usual vendor won’t have any more in stock for some time. Luz, now with the house to herself, is bored out of her mind and figured she could learn some new magic on her own. That turns out to be a HUGE mistake.
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Comments: 285
Kudos: 1019





	1. The Mistake

**Author's Note:**

> this is the first fanfic i’ve written in like, literally a decade lmao. it won’t be the best but hopefully it’ll be entertaining enough for y’all.

Luz slammed her book shut, her face expressionless. She then let out an overdramatic groan, laying her book on the couch next to her and standing up. She was SO. BORED. With Eda and King out of town, there was nothing she could do. Absolutely nothing. It wasn’t safe for her to wander around Bonesburrow by herself, so she was shut in when they left. She had reread her Good Witch Azura book several times, and she had burnt herself out on practicing the only two spells she knows. 

Luz suddenly perked up. Spells! “If I could teach myself that ice spell,” She said, “I can teach myself some other spells from nature!” The bright smile on her face fell flat once more as she realized that she was talking to herself. “Great. Not weird at all.” Luz facepalmed. 

Shaking her head, she headed to the door. As she grabbed the handle to leave, the door suddenly swung open, revealing Hooty with a suspicious look in his eye. “Eda said you’re not allowed to leave. Hoot! Where do you think you’re going?” 

Luz shrugged casually. “I’m just going outside for a minute. I’m not going far at all.” She gasped and stumbled backwards as the door slammed shut. “Hey! Hooty!” 

“Sorry, hoot! It’s for your own good. Don’t want you straying away and getting eaten!”

“Not cool.” Luz grumbled and walked away, aimlessly wandering up to Eda’s bedroom. The huge nest filled with bones and gold was off-putting, but Luz loved the huge stained glass window that seemed to overlook the forest surrounding the house. She stood in front of the window, arms crossed and a concentrated look on her face. She thought to herself, what would be a cool new spell to learn? She knew ice, she knew light... 

Unfortunately for Luz, there wasn’t much to look at when it was dark outside. She didn’t even realize that it had become night so soon. “Aw, come on!” She said, frustrated. She sighed and looked up at the moon, trying to take comfort in something that was at least a little bit familiar. 

That’s when she saw it. Through the red pupil of the stained glass window, she could make out a pattern in the craters on the moon. Luz gasped and took a couple steps back, eyes brightening. The human girl rushed around Eda’s room in search of a piece of paper or parchment or even a leaf to draw on. She eventually found a corner torn off of a wanted poster and a black crayon covered in bite marks. King must’ve thought it was a snack or something. 

Luz ran back up to the window and pressed the piece of poster up against its surface, tracing the pattern that she saw. The spell circle was tiny on the piece of paper. Oh well, Luz thought. It’ll be safer to start out small with a new spell. She looked over her handiwork with pride, and she noticed that the glyph she drew almost looked like an animal. The shape that the lines made looked like a leaping dog, or actually, it looked more like a pouncing wolf. 

Oddly enough, the wax from the crayon started to slightly sizzle before the whole rune started to glow a deep crimson. Luz blinked, confused. Other times she did spells, they didn’t glow until she touched them. “Stop worrying, Luz.” She said to herself after shaking her head. “Time to see what this baby can do!” 

As soon as her finger touched the paper, she immediately reared back with a scream of surprise and agony. Dark red streaks of magic spread across her skin, starting from her finger and ending at her head. It was only a few seconds of Luz on the ground writhing in pain before the effects of the spell abruptly ended, leaving her on the floor with a shocked expression. “Okay,” she started hoarsely. “That was unexpected.” 

Her body felt fine after a couple minutes, but she was so weak. Luz stood up shakily, her legs seeming like they can barely support her. Her head spun, and she almost collapsed again. The human stumbled back down to the living room, swiping her book off of the couch and flopping down onto the plush surface. A sudden wave of exhaustion had hit her like a semi truck, and as soon as her head hit the cushion, she was out like a light. 

☾

Luz slowly blinked open her eyes, frowning in confusion. She wasn’t in the Owl House. At all. She was in a grey, bleak world with nothing but herself and a door. The door wasn’t attached to anything, though. It was simply... there. Luz narrowed her eyes and took a few cautious steps towards the door, reaching a hand out to turn the knob. Before she could touch the doorknob, it suddenly burst open, being torn off of its hinges and thrown roughly across the bland plane.

Luz backed away, terrified by the silhouette in the broken doorway. It was a huge beast, maybe three times her height. It sported wolf-like ears and glowing golden eyes that reflected no emotion other than hunger and rage. She couldn’t see much of the detail, but Luz was pretty sure this thing looked almost identical to the werewolves she’d seen in movies. She was not prepared at all for the beast to suddenly leap at her with a bloodcurdling roar. 

☾

Luz jolted awake with a scream, sitting upright with a hand on her chest in an attempt to calm her heartbeat down. She suddenly felt a sharp jab in her head, reaching a hand up to her head with a groan at the sudden migraine. When the pain ebbed a bit, she opened her eyes again, dazed and confused. She spent a lot of her time alone confused, apparently. 

Luz was no longer on the couch. In fact, there was barely any couch left. It was torn to shreds, and the wooden frame had deep claw marks all over it. Luz was sitting in the middle of the living room on a pile of all of the couch stuffing, a few shredded pillows, and other various soft items that were thrown about the living room. 

Luz stood up and stumbled away from her makeshift bed, reaching her hands up to rub the sleep and headache from her eyes. She suddenly froze, petrified, staring at her hands. Well, they used to be hands. They now resembled paws more than anything, but she could still flex each finger individually and had an opposable thumb on each paw-hand-thing. Her paw-hand-things were covered in black fur, and each finger was tipped with thick black talons. 

Luz, like any normal human, screamed.


	2. The Warden

What happened. What happened what happened WHAT. HAPPENED. Her mind was going a mile a minute as she just stood there, staring blankly at her hands. She wanted to scream again. Was this permanent? Was it going to spread? If so, how long does she have before the rest of her is a monster? Can she fix this? Is there a counter spell? There were so many questions that Luz had, but no one was there to answer them. 

Help! That’s what she needs. She’s on a huge skeletal island full of witches and demons and magic. There’s got to be a way to fix this... whatever she did to herself. She looked out a nearby window, feeling some relief as she saw that it was still quite early in the morning. There was only four witches on this entire island that she could trust right now. Eda, Gus, Willow, and Luz guessed she could trust Amity. A little bit. At certain times. If she could catch her friends before they went to school, she’ll be perfectly fine. 

Luz looked back down at her hands again, feeling an anxious pit opening up inside her stomach. She can’t go out like this. With deadly looking hands like these, she’s bound to be mistaken for a demon. She definitely doesn’t want to get mixed up with Demon Hunters again. That wasn’t fun at all. Luz shook her head clear of those thoughts, putting both hands on her head. “Focus, Luz!” She said to herself. Okay. She can do this. Calm, clear thoughts from here on out. 

Luz needed to find a way to conceal her beastly hand-paw-things. She knew there was illusion spells for something like that, but she didn’t know any illusion spells. She could ask Gus to hide her hand-paw-things and make them look normal again, but she needs to hide them NOW. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. An idea so simple, she facepalmed at the fact that she immediately went to magic as a solution. Luz yelped as one of her terrifying claws hit against her forehead during the facepalm. 

Gloves! Eda was a human trash hoarder. If she could find a large pair of gloves, she’ll be set. Luz remembered one place that had a large amount of trash clothing, and that was the closet she spent her first night here in. The human made a beeline towards the closet, throwing the door open. To her surprise, she could see clear as day inside the closet. That’s strange. She remembered that it was almost pitch black in there, even in the mornings and daytime. Then, it hit her. It IS dark in here. She can SEE. In the DARK. 

Luz scrambled around for a mirror in the heaps of trash. She hated shoving her hands into garbage, but she needed to. She needed to see this. She needed to see if something else on her body changed. Finally, her hands hit something that felt like a square on a small handle. Her clumsy new paws couldn’t get a good grip on the handle, she guessed it was because of the huge claws, so she grabbed the mirror part instead and pulled it out of the garbage pile. Cupping the edges of the mirror in both hand-paw-things, she stared at it, or actually, herself. 

She knew it. She had a horrible gut feeling, and it was right. She can see in the dark because her eyes changed too. Instead of her usual honey brown eyes, they were a savage gold, seeming to glow against the darkness behind her. Luz wanted to scream again, and her grip on the mirror tightened until it shattered in her hands. She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down. Okay. This is fine. Now she knows that her body is changing slowly, body part by body part. She can get this fixed. She just has to get moving. 

Sunglasses and gloves. She needed sunglasses and gloves now. With a grimace, she shoved her paws back into the piles of garbage, feeling around for anything that could be of use to her. Finally, she pulled out a brand new pair of Ray Bans, an expensive pair of sunglasses that she guessed Owlbert stole rather than scavenged. She also found a couple of oven mitts, one right handed and one left handed. Perfect. She looked like a goofball, wearing sunglasses and oven mitts, but it was better than looking like a monster-to-be. 

Luz made for the door to leave the Owl house. She grabbed the handle to turn it and open the door, but the handle didn’t budge. With an exasperated sigh, she realized that Hooty had locked her in last night. Awesome. What a GREAT way to start the day. Luz didn’t realize that she was getting angry a LOT easier, and her grip on the door handle tightened until it gave way and her new hand-paw-things just kind of squished wrought iron. Her brow furrowed and her set her jaw, teeth grinding in sudden and worrying fury. With her beastly hand still holding a death grip on the handle, she turned it as hard as she could. The locking mechanism on the inside snapped, and the handle turned freely. 

Luz swung open the door, waking Hooty in the process. “Hey! Luz! Where are you going? Hoot! OW! What did you do?!” He called out desperately as the human girl stormed away, oven-mitt clad hands balled up in furious fists. “LUZ! Come back! You’re not supposed to leave! LUUUZ! HOOOOT!” 

☾

She can’t believe she did that to her friend. Luz felt AWFUL. She hurt Hooty. She broke a crucial part of him. As weird as it is to feel bad about a house demon, or whatever Hooty actually was, she felt terrible. She can’t stop thinking about how her mind went dim as the anger just took control. It was horrifying, like she was a prisoner in her own mind, looking out of her eyes as if staring through the bars of a cell. 

She pulled her hood up as she entered the market section of Bonesburrow. She had to walk through it to reach a shortcut to Hexside, and she needed to reach her friends as soon as possible. She shoved her oven-mitt clad hands into her short pockets as much as she could and tilted her head down slightly, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible as she walked through a street filled with monsters and ghouls and witches. 

Her ears twitched as she picked up growls and grumbles and mumbled and whispers about the weird girl with the weird hood and eye coverings. She felt awful, like an outcast in a world full of mythical creatures. Well, she was the weird one here.

Wait. 

Her ears twitched? She could hear whispers from almost all the way down the street behind her? Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no. She ducked into a dark, empty alleyway, making sure she was well hidden before pulling her hood down. She took a deep breath and swallowed the knot in her throat as she peeked at her reflection in a puddle, removing her sunglasses to get a better look at herself. 

And sure enough, her ears had changed. They now closely resembled a witch’s ears, except they were a little bit longer and of course, covered in black fur. They were wolf ears. She had wolf ears. In her reflection, she truly looked like a monster, with vicious yellow eyes and the ears of a beast. She also noticed that her canine teeth were slightly longer and sharper. This was really happening. She was slowly turning into a monster and it was all her own fault. She didn’t realize she had started to tear up until she saw the puddle shimmer where her tears hit its surface. 

No. She wiped her eyes with the dirty oven mitt, which she realized wasn’t a good idea but that didn’t really matter right now. She can’t waste time feeling sorry and scared for herself. She has to find Gus, Willow and Amity before it’s too late, and she has to get this fixed. She pulled her hood up and put her sunglasses back on, walking out of the alleyway and back into the street. 

Or, she tried to walk back into the street. She ran into something big, something strong and solid. She bounced off the thing she ran into and fell onto her rear with a surprised yelp, shaking her head and looking up at whatever she ran into. 

Oh no. She could recognize that white lab coat with rolled sleeves and creepy plague doctor mask and bluish-grey scaly skin anywhere. 

She had just bumped into Warden Wrath. 

The big brute of a... thing turned around to face whatever had just run into him, looking down at Luz ever so agonizingly slowly. “You.” His voice hissed out, deep and full of venom and hate. Before Luz could react or run or do anything, his clenched fist seemed to melt into a mass of vine-like appendages, grasping the human girl as she let out a terrified gasp. 

He held her high above his head as Luz squirmed and fought to get free, but to no avail. “You think I would let you get away with humiliating me like that? You think I would let a dirty little human best me? Ha. Ha ha! HA HA HA HA!” He ended his mini rant with maniacal laughter, chilling the bones of everyone who had come to watch the show. He brought her in close to his face, relishing in her horrified expression. “I’m going to make you pay for what you did to me. You’re going to ROT.” 

And with that, he and the two guard that flanked either side of him marched towards the Conformitorium with Luz, Wrath’s hefty footsteps making the ground quake ever so slightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i realize as i write this, it’s just getting more and more detailed. love getting back into the swing of things.


	3. The Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao i can’t stoP. this story is not going to be regularly updated at all, as i have a weird schedule and other stuff to work on i hope y’all enjoy the three chapters i pumped out for this story in one day F

Warden Wrath threw open the hefty doors of the Conformitorium with terrifying ease. Luz flinched at the sound of a guard crying out in pain as he was squished up against the wall by the doors, but then turned her attention to something else. 

The vastness of the prison never ceased to amaze her. She looked up at the tall spiraling staircase and satisfyingly symmetrical cells with wonder in her eyes, truly amazed with the architectural beauty of the bleak prison. That is, until she remembered that she was being captured and was probably going to be forgotten here for the rest of her life. Luz blinked in confusion as Wrath bypassed the stairs leading up to the cells, a nervous pit opening up in her stomach. “H-Hey, Warden, aren’t the cells that way?” She said sheepishly, gesturing with a thumb over her shoulder. 

“There are cells that way, yes.” Wrath kept looking straight ahead as he opened yet another vast and heavy door with one hand. “But I’m taking you somewhere special. Somewhere I can watch you suffer.” Luz could tell he was smiling under that mask, and shivered at the thought of taking pleasure in someone else’s pain. 

She remained quiet for the rest of their journey through twisting, dark tunnels lined with massive, dirty cells and cages that housed all sorts of monsters and villains. Well, she remained quiet until she was roughly thrown into a cell at the end of the crypt-like tunnel. The cell door fell shut with a loud clang. “Welcome to maximum security, where I can watch the other prisoners try to eat your through their cells.” He let out a hearty chuckle. 

During Luz’s tumble across the floor, her oven mitts and glasses fell off, and her hood came down. She sat there on her hands and knees, claws digging deep gouges in the stone floor as she desperately tried to keep herself from leaping at the Warden. Her ears were pinned back to her head, and her eyes gleamed with a fiery rage. Her teeth were bared slightly as a quiet growl rumbled from her chest. 

If Wrath had eyebrows, one would be raised. He turned around and knelt down, getting to just about eye level with Luz. He took off his mask and locked eyes with the not-quite human, an interested and curious glimmer in his beady little eyes. “Cursed, eh?” He tsk’ed. “Did the Owl Lady do this to you? Sad.” He leaned in close to the bars, an evil smirk on his ugly face. “Well, on the bright side, you’re safe in here. You won’t be able to hurt anybody once you turn into a mindless killer.” 

Wrath stood up and let out another devious chuckle as the anger in Luz’s eyes was replaced with a look of terror. As he was walking away, Luz scooted back into a corner of the cell, hugging her legs close to her chest. He was right. She was going to turn into a monster. She had no one to help her here. No one to comfort her while she descended into blind rage. She was alone with the rest of the monsters that roared and grumbled and growled around her. 

This is it, she thought. Eda and King will never know where she went or what happened to her. She never got to say goodbye to her friends, and... She felt her heart break as she thought about the one person that’s been on her mind throughout her whole journey on the Boiling Isles. Her mother. Her mother, who innocently thought she was at summer camp. Her mother, who raised Luz on her own, who worked her butt off every day to support her baby. Her mother, who she’s never going to say “I love you” to again. 

Luz didn’t even realize she was sobbing until she choked on her own cries. She could feel something off, too. She looked down in the small puddle that formed from her tears, and gasped. The more upset she got, the worse her condition got. Her ears were longer, she had fangs protruding from her bottom lip, and the fur on her hands now reached her elbows. Her shocked and sad expression then changed to rage. Luz bared her teeth and slammed her fist down into the small puddle with a snarl, cracking the stone beneath her tears. 

Looking at herself was the final straw. Luz could feel her thoughts start to slow down and become more aggressive, more feral, up until the point where she couldn’t remember her name. She couldn’t remember the names of her friends, she couldn’t remember she HAD friends, and she couldn’t remember why she was in a cell. All she knew is that she was pissed off and she needs to get out. She needs to get Home. She had a vague sense of where Home was, and what it looked like. Big house, with a big eyeball window. 

Luz unconsciously wandered up to the thick iron bars of her cell, each paw gripping a bar. This was the way out. There were iron bars in her way, but this was the way out. She began to pull the bars apart, growling with effort and straining. They creaked and groaned under the pressure, but they barely budged. But then, she felt something. Stronger. She felt stronger. Her paws grew a little bit, and her forearms became thicker, muscle growing underneath a layer of black fur. 

Yes. That’ll work. With a snarl, Luz gave one last tug on the bars. They bent with ease, creating a small hole she could get through. The rush of power gave Luz’s feral brain a better idea, though. She began viciously tearing and bending and snapping the rest of the bars, creating quite the commotion with the sounds of metal hitting the stone floor and her own snarls and growls. 

The adrenaline created by savagely murdering those poor iron bars only accelerated her curse. Luz stumbled backwards and fell on her rear with a grunt as her legs began to change, bending and growing more animalistic. Strong paws shredded her shoes and her leggings tore as black fur covered her new wolf-like legs. To go faster, her brain told her. Good. Why would she need to go fast, though? 

Several pairs of heavy footsteps coming down the tunnel answered her question. She needed to run. To get out of this place, to get Home. Luz backed up into the shadows of her cell to wait for the perfect moment to run. 

Warden Wrath’s commanding voice silenced every monster and criminal almost immediately. “What’s going on? What is all that noise?” He was met with not one single reply. “Does anyone want to fess up? Anyone at all?” Wrath snapped his head towards movement he caught out of the corner of his eye, suspicion growing as one huge monster held up a shaky finger to point at the very last cell of the tunnel. 

Wrath’s eyes widened at the scene before him. His precious cell, torn to shreds. What kind of monster would do such a thing? What kind of monster COULD do such a thing? Then he remembered, a little too late. The human. Her curse. His blood went cold as a low, deep growl emanated from the back of the cell, and crazed, savage yellow eyes with pupils the size of pinpricks glared daggers at him. 

He had zero time to react as the half-beast leaped out of the shadows with a snarl, pinning Wrath to the ground. He expected the worst, but was only used as a launchpad for her to escape. The guards wasted no time in running after her, surprisingly keeping up with the cursed human. 

Luz was sprinting on all fours down the tunnel, maneuvering swiftly. She didn’t even realize that a wolf-like tail had burst from her shorts while she was running, only subconsciously noting that her speed and agility increased significantly because of it. She barreled through guards as they tried to  
stop her, claws slashing and teeth gnashing the whole way out. She reached the doors that led into the main chamber of the prison and body-slammed into them, flinging them open and crushing the poor guards that were standing on either side of the doors. 

Now was the tricky part. There were SO. MANY. GUARDS. She heard Warden Wrath’s booming voice behind her, and it sounded like he was screaming out commands. Her mind didn’t register what he was saying. She was too focused on getting out. Dozens of guard began to descend upon her, all wielding all sorts of weapons. Clubs, crossbows, swords, spears, axes, the whole nine yards. But that didn’t stop her. She dodged and weaved as crossbow bolts and arrows were shot at her, and eventually, she made it to the main doors of the Conformitorium. 

That was it. She made it out of that prison, but she was nowhere near being in the clear just yet. All of the guards were still hot on her trail, somehow managing to keep up with the swift beast-to-be. She can outrun them. She’ll be fine. She kept running until she reached the marketplace of Bonesburrow, watching all of the residents, travelers, customers, and vendors scramble for safety as Luz led a war party straight to the town center. 

Luz finally had to skid to a halt as a dozen more guards formed a blockade right in her path. She stood up, claws tensed and ready to fight as the circle of guards slowly closed in on her. 

☾

“Gods, today was so boring!” Willow groaned as classes ended for the day. Her and Gus were walking together, as usual. “I can’t believe we had four tests in a row. Four!”

“I know,” Gus said, sounding exhausted. “That potions test really came out of nowhere.” He and Willow suddenly let out surprised gasps as a whole bunch of prison guards sprinted past them, heading straight towards the marketplace. “What was that about?!” Gus exclaimed. 

“I have no idea,” Willow said, eyes still wide with surprise. “Should we go check it out?” 

“Absolutely.” Gus said without hesitation. He was excited to see what all of the guards were freaking out about, regardless of the danger. 

Willow and Gus followed the soldiers, confusion and concern only growing as they realized they were heading for the marketplace. The two witches even felt some fear as they heard battle cries, screams, and... snarls? What monster was attacking the marketplace, and why were there so many guards? 

Gus and Willow ducked behind the remnants of a booth, watching the battle unfold with curious eyes. The ranks upon ranks of guards were so thick, they couldn’t see the beast they were fighting. They only saw the occasional flash of black fur and wicked looking claws. 

“Have you guys seen what it is yet?” A voice from  
behind made both Gus and Willow jump and start to scream, but hands had clapped over their mouths before any sound could get out. It was Amity, glaring at the two. “Calm down! It’s just me! Gods!” She hissed. 

Willow, with a hand on her heart, shot the same glare back at Amity. “Why would you sneak up on us like that?” She whispered. “And no, we haven’t seen it yet.” 

“I bet it’s a Snaggleback,” Gus whispered with excitement. “I’ve read that they’re the most powerful demons on the Boiling Isles. I bet that’s why it’s taking so many guards to take it down!” 

Amity narrowed her eyes at the dark talons and black fur as it broke through the thick layer of guards again. “I don’t know. The picture in that demon book showed it with this ugly, rotten looking pinkish color. This thing is almost pitch black.” 

Their conversation halted as the monster let out a bone chilling roar and several guards all went flying up into the air at the same time. Whatever it was, it had just gotten stronger. The ranks of guards thinned out quickly now, and the kids could see more and more of the beast. Wolffish legs, a long tail, wicked looking paws and a purple and white shirt with a cat hood..?

There were no more guards standing. None. They were either all unconscious, but with the scattered pools of blood here and there, the kids knew better than that. Amity, Gus, and Willow all stared at the painfully familiar shirt, shorts and leggings the monster was wearing. It had its back to them, but they all knew who it was. 

Amity was the first to move. Despite her classmates’ protest, she stood up and walked out onto the bloody street. The green haired witch did not want to believe what she was seeing. Her once human friend, partially transformed into a bloodthirsty monster. Cursed. As she was taking slow and cautious steps forward, since she was a little ways away, she accidentally kicked a sword. Amity cringed at the sound of it skating across the worn stone path.

The beast whipped around and stared Amity down with cold, feral eyes. Her pupils were nothing but tiny dots within a sea of vicious gold. Her face twisted into a snarl, showing no sign that she recognized Amity. The cursed human dropped down onto all fours, slowly prowling towards the witch, claws clicking menacingly on the bloodied stones. 

Amity stood her ground and made sure not to make herself look intimidated or threatening. “Luz.” She said firmly. She felt a glimmer of hope as the beast seemed to trip, eyes going wide. It’s ears perked up and it now stared at Amity with curiosity rather than hunger. “Luz, I know you’re still in there. You know me. It’s Amity.” 

Luz was stopped in her tracks. Her heavy breathing slowed as she calmed down, tensed muscles relaxing and teeth no longer bared. Both clawed hands went to her head as she shut her eyes tight, her expression showing great pain. When she opened her eyes again, intelligence shimmered within, and her pupils were normal sized again. Luz looked down at her bloodied paws, eyes wide and tears running down her face. “A-Amity...” She croaked, looking up at her friend. “Please help me.” 

It took everything Amity had not to cry right then and there, looking at the once-human’s helpless and terrified expression. “We can help you. I promise. Willow, Augustus and I will find a way to fix this.” Gus and Willow had eventually wandered out from behind their cover, standing behind Amity with terrified but supportive expressions. 

Luz sniffled, a grateful smile on her face despite the death and destruction she had just caused. Just as she started to take slow steps towards her friends, a bloodied guard groaned and sat up. He grabbed a crossbow that was laying by his side and aimed it at the monster, lining up his shot and squeezing the trigger. 

Gus, Willow and Amity all stumbled backwards as Luz suddenly let out a roar of agony. The beast’s pupils shrunk down to pinpricks as it whipped around, snarling, revealing the crossbow bolt that was painfully imbedded into her back. She wasted no time in leaping onto the soldier who had shot her and tore him to shreds. When it was done, the monster stumbled backwards, whining and reaching around its back and grabbing the bolt. As soon as her paw touched the projectile, she yelped and flinched in pain. 

“Luz,” Amity called again. “It’s going to be okay. We can help you, and heal you. You’re going to be-“ Amity cut herself off with a scream as the beast took off in a sprint towards her. The witch was ready for the pain to follow being pounced on, but nothing came. Luz had ran straight past the trio of witches on all fours, heading towards the path that led to the Owl House.


	4. The Wolf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eda says a bad word, as she should

The three witches just stood there, dumbfounded. Everything happened so fast. Leaving a stressful school day to just happening to walk up on one of their best friends turning into a raging monster, only to watch her get shot by a crossbow and run away? It seemed like too much to handle at once. It WAS too much to handle at once. 

Amity broke the shocked silence. “We have to go after her.” She stood facing the direction Luz ran, both fists clenched with fiery determination. “We have to help.” 

“But how?” Willow’s voice broke. “She’s cursed! W-What if she hurts us too?” She flinched as Amity whipped around with a furious glare, but Willow also saw a deep sadness in her eyes that she didn’t expect at all. 

“She won’t hurt us. She knows us. Even if her mind is all messed up, she won’t hurt us.” Amity’s glare softened into a look of worry. “As long as we get to her before she transforms all the way.” 

“What happens if we get to her, and she’s already gone?” Gus asked quietly. 

“We’ll still help her. No matter what.” Amity didn’t waste any more time with pointless conversation and started to run in the direction of the Owl House. “Now come on!” 

Gus and Willow exchanged a worried and terrified glance, but they followed anyways. Luz was their friend. She would know them. She wouldn’t hurt them. They trusted her. Whatever happened to Luz, they could find a way to fix it. 

After a few minutes of running, they came to the end of the path and stopped at the edge of the treeline. They ducked into cover behind a bush, peeking out just over the edge. Amity gasped, eyes growing wide with fear as she looked at the scene ahead of her. 

She could see Luz’s trail of paw prints, but as they came closer to the house, they gradually increased in size. That was NOT a good sign at all. The front of the house had a gaping hole where a door used to be, crumbled stones scattered about. Something big had gotten into the house. Hooty was ripped off of his hinges and thrown haphazardly into the front yard, covered in claw marks that were much bigger than Luz could’ve made. 

The trio gulped and made their way inside, not daring to make a sound. The interior of the house was in worse shape than the outside. Wallpaper was torn and peeling off the walls, furniture was crushed and toppled over, and there was a bloody trail of paw prints leading away from a crossbow bolt lying in the middle of what used to be the living room. 

In the back of the group, Willow was on the verge of all out panic. The scene, the stench of blood and death, it was all too much. She began to hyperventilate, catching the attention of the other two witches, who looked at her with equally panicked expressions. 

“Willow!” Amity whispered fiercely. “You need to calm down and be quiet!” She desperately tried to calm her down, reaching out and putting both hands on her shoulders. 

“No!” Willow shouted, completely freaking out. “We need to leave. Luz is going to ki-“ She froze as a hefty thump was heard behind her. Amity and Gus were staring up and something well above her head, both with absolutely petrified expressions. “And now she’s right behind me, isn’t she?” 

There was no need to answer her question as a deep, rumbling growl emanated from the source of the thump. Willow whipped around and joined her friends in backing away, staring in terrified awe at the former human. 

Luz was easily three times her original height, towering over the three witches menacingly. A dark, wolffish snout had its lips drawn back, baring massive fangs that looked like they could bite through solid steel with ease. Her eyes were crazed, sporting no more whites at all. Just a savage yellow that seemed to glow against her dark fur, and tiny little pupils that gave away no emotion other than mindless fury. The only thing that gave away Luz’s identity was the ragged and torn clothes still clinging to her new body. The white part of her shirt was stained with blood, most likely from when she ripped the crossbow bolt out of her back. 

The three witches barely had time to move out of the way as the monster launched at them with a roar, crashing through the wall that was once behind them. “Run!” Amity screamed, attempting to sprint towards the massive hole in the entrance of the house, grabbing Gus and Willow as she went. The trio stumbled backwards, however, as the beast leaped in front of them, effectively blocking their exit. 

“Luz, please!-“ Amity started. She cut herself short and instinctually waved her finger in a circle and brought up a shield made of magic, blocking a strong swipe from the beast’s claws. The shield shattered and sent the three kids flying back, each of them slamming into the wall. Willow and Gus were out cold, and Amity let out a pained groan and blinked open her eyes. Luz stood over them, eyes wide with hunger and anticipation for this meal. 

No. This wasn’t it. She wouldn’t allow it. As the cursed creature raised her claws to deliver the killing blow, Amity thought of one last idea. One last thing that she could try. She didn’t know if it would work, but at this point, she had nothing to lose. Before Luz could strike, Amity painfully drew a small yellow circle of magic in the air and narrowed her eyes as a small orb of light levitated in the air. Amity smiled at it, closed her eyes, and waited for the inevitable. 

Nothing came.

Confused, Amity blinked open her eyes, wincing at the light that assaulted her vision. What she saw made her body go numb with relief. It worked. Luz was sitting like a dog, head leaned in close to the small orb of light, eyes wide and full of wonder and recognition. The tip of her tongue was barely poking out of her maw, entranced by the spell. 

The former human then blinked several times, brow furrowing in confusion. Amity noticed that she turned her attention to her, Willow and Gus, concern in her golden eyes. Well, Luz wasn’t all there, but she at least wasn’t trying to kill them. Amity slowly stood up, wincing and grabbing at her side. Yeah, there was definitely a broken rib or two in there. She sighed in relief, smiling as Luz tilted her head at her, eyes shining with curiosity. 

“I wish you could understand how happy I am right now.” Amity said softly. Then, the unthinkable happened. She was suddenly knocked down as Luz assaulted her with licks, letting out happy whines the whole time. Amity managed to wriggle out of the beast’s grasp, standing rigid with a very hot blush on her glaring face. “Alright. We’re NEVER going to talk about that. EVER.” Luz just sat there, giving the witch an innocent smile, tail wagging.

Behind the two, Willow and Gus stirred, finally coming to. Willow inhaled sharply and put a hand up to her head, wincing and looking around, a bit dazed. “Ugh, what happened?” She then screamed, pointing at Luz, which made the beast flinch back with her ears pinned to her head. “AMITY! BEHIND YOU!” 

“Willow! It’s fine!” Amity exclaimed, standing with her arms held out in defense of Luz. “She’s calmed down now. But she’s-“ She was cut off by a thump behind her, and she turned around to see Luz on her back pawing at the little orb of light that seemed to playfully bounce back and forth. “-not thinking quite clearly.” 

Gus stood up with a yelp, supporting himself on the wall as his leg was extremely sore. “Aw, she’s kind of cute!” He smiled as the beast looked at him, still upside down, and gave a big smile, tongue lolling out of her mouth. “But, does she recognize us?”

Amity sighed. “I think there’s some part of her in there that knows we’re not a threat.” The green haired witch went wide-eyed as Luz let out a loud yelp, twisting her body to lick at the wound on her back. Amity let out a shocked gasp at how bad it looked. The hole in Luz’s back was long and ragged, looking more torn than punctured. Amity guessed that her transformation must’ve just ripped the injury open. 

Willow walked up to stand next to Amity, her eyes showing great worry. “Oh my Gods, that looks terrible.” The witch then brightened up, smiling as she got an idea. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small seed, gasping it in her hand tightly. As she drew a small, green circle above the seed, her eyes glowed the same hue. A small, golden flower burst from the seed, and Willow smiled, vibrant green dimming from her eyes. She then crushed the flower in her fist, opening her hand back up to reveal a gently glowing golden ointment. 

“What is that?” Amity asked with a raised eyebrow. She was impressed by the witch’s ability, but due to her pride and her past with her, she’s not going to say anything. 

Willow held her hand out and gently placed it on Luz’s wound, flinching as the beast let out an agonized snarl. After a moment, the cursed human relaxed, letting out a strange purring sound as the ointment soothed the wound and stopped the bleeding. “It’s from the human world, a plant called goldenrod. I carry seeds with me everywhere, since they have very high medicinal value. You know, just in case I have to cure a horrible wound on a wolf demon that used to be my friend.” Willow giggled as Luz gave her a grateful nuzzle, the witch scratching her behind the ear in response. 

Gus somehow found a roll of medical wrap and a clean piece of scrap cloth. He limped over with a wince and placed the cloth over the monster’s wound and began to wrap the tape around her torso. Amity gave Gus a worried look, noticing how he was barely putting any weight on his leg and still wincing. “Hey, Augustus, are you alright?” She asked, finally swallowing her pride. 

Gus blinked, surprised that Amity of all witches would ask about his wellbeing. “Uh, y-yeah. I’m good. My hip is killing me, though.” He let out an awkward chuckle. “Guess hitting a wall at mach speed will do that to ya.” He then gave her a genuine smile. “And, you can just call me Gus. Luz gave me that nickname!”

Amity smiled back, putting a hand up to her ribs as they started aching again. Then, suddenly, a cold dread took over her body. “Hey, guys? What are we going to do when the Owl Lady comes home?” 

All four of them whipped around at the sound of someone letting out a disappointed sigh. “What the HELL is going on here?” Almost if on cue, the menacing Owl Lady stood in the hole that used to be a doorway, accompanied by her terrifying demon companion. Both of them had wicked scowls on their faces. 

“Uh oh,” Willow said under her breath. She gave a sheepish smile to her friends, who just gave her looks that screamed ‘seriously?’.


	5. The Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey howdy! i’m currently working on some art of cursed!luz and man,,, i can’t wait to somehow attach it to this story when it’s done hhjfjshshsh
> 
> in the meantime please enjoy a chapter i don’t remember writing LMAO

5 minutes ago...

“And we’re home!” Eda announced proudly, the burlap sack that was thrown over her shoulder rattling slightly. “I cant believe we actually got away with that.” 

King, who stood by her side, giggled evilly. “Oh, that guy is going to be so mad when he realizes that we stole ALL of his elixir when he turned around to count the snails you paid for just one bottle! Ha!” He fist pumped, looking up at the witch. “You NEVER turn your backs on us!” 

“You got that right, you adorable little bundle of evil.” She pat his head. Their fond moment was interrupted by a foul smell wafting their way. Eda wrinkled her nose, an annoyed glare on her face. Then, she realized, there was barely anyone here at all. Usually the marketplace of Bonesburrow was bustling with activity, mostly thievery. “Hey, what gives? Where is everyone? And why does it smell like a bunch of dead bodies?” 

Another witch was passing by when he heard Eda’s question, which wasn’t really directed to anyone. “Everyone had to flee their booths after the beast attacked.” He gestured over his shoulder with his thumb as he kept walking, sighing. “Some nasty stuff down that way. Nasty even for the Boiling Isles.” 

Eda and King exchanged a confused and worried glance. Beast? What beast? What even counted as a beast on the Boiling Isles? They walked farther down the street anyways, curious to see the damage. 

And damage they saw. Multiple booths were demolished, and blood was scattered about over a very wide area of the marketplace. Eda could tell there was once many, many corpses here just by the smell of the place alone. “Somethings not right here,” She mumbled, eyes narrowed suspiciously. The older witch then suddenly went wide-eyed, finally noticing something that she should’ve seen before. 

There was wanted posters EVERYWHERE. Stapled to every inch of every lamp post, taped to the surviving booths, laying in the street and blowing around in the wind. King, who had crawled his way up to Eda’s shoulder, caught a poster mid air, studying it with curiosity. The little demon let out an overdramatic gasp, almost falling off of his perch with shock. 

“Let me see it.” Eda snatched it from his grasp, looking at it for only a couple seconds. Eda felt her blood run cold as she dropped the poster and took off towards the Owl House on Owlbert, flying as fast as physically possible. The poster depicted a picture of Luz, her beloved little helper and student, looking shy and scared. Behind the little cartoon of her, however, was a black silhouette of a wolf demon, howling to the full moon that was used as the background to the artwork. _“WANTED, DEAD OR ALIVE: LUZ THE WOLF”_

☾

“What the HELL is going on here?!” Eda demanded. King dropped down from her shoulder, cracking his knuckles both menacingly and adorably. 

“M-Miss Owl Lady!” Amity stammered out, shocked at her sudden arrival. “Look, this looks awful, and it is, b-but we’ll help you fix the house! And, uhh, I’m sure you’ve seen - wait - LUZ!” 

As Amity was talking, Luz had stood up with a snarl, claws tensed and teeth bared. She didn’t recognize Eda, and she didn’t recognize King. She only saw a witch and a demon who looked like threats to her new friends. The beast paused, however, as Gus and Willow wrapped their arms around hers. “It’s okay! You know them. They’re your friends, too.” Gus reassured her. 

Luz blinked and relaxed, turning her attention back to the newcomers. They did NOT look angry or threatening anymore, now that her name was spoken out loud. The older witch actually looked sad and regretful, and some part of her brain told Luz that her looking like that was not normal at all. Wait. She knew these guys! Now that the beast realized that she knew them, she felt a wave of sadness overwhelm her. Luz sunk to the floor with a long whine, ears pinning to her skull.

Eda walked over and kneeled in front of the monster, locking eyes with her. “Oh, kid.” She said quietly, shaking her head. “How did this happen?” Luz didn’t know. She didn’t know what was happening. She whined again, shamefully breaking eye contact with the witch. She blinked as a strong hand grabbed the bottom of her muzzle and turned her face back towards the old witch. “Look at me. I’m gonna do all I can to get rid of this curse, alright?” Curse? Luz tilted her head slightly as Eda reached into the burlap sack she brought in with her and pulled out a bottle of shining elixir. “Here. Drink this.” 

Well, she was pretty thirsty. Luz grabbed the bottle in her jaws, throwing her head back and letting the liquid drain down her throat since she couldn’t actually lap it up from inside the bottle. It was soothing, cool and... Wow, she was tired. The beast let out a huge yawn, laying down on the floor, curling up into a tight ball and almost immediately falling asleep. 

“What was that potion you gave her?” Amity questioned. She picked up the bottle Luz had dropped onto the floor, reading the label out loud. “An elixir a day keeps the curse at bay? How did you know she needed this?” 

Eda sighed. “I didn’t.” She ran her hand through the fur on Luz’s head, the sleeping beast letting out a happy grumble at the touch. “Let’s just say, I’m acutely aware of how she’s feeling right now.” She stood up, looking around her house, finally taking in the damage. She picked the bloody crossbow bolt up off the ground, frowning at it deeply. “There’s, uh, not much here right now, but why don’t you kids get some rest? I’ll see if I can find something relatively soft for ya.”

☾

Luz let out a long, weak groan. Everything HURT. Every single fiber of her body felt sore and tense and she was afraid to move. She didn’t even want to open her eyes. But she did anyways, staring at the ceiling of the Owl House through a wince. 

She was laying on the remains of the couch, a raggedy pillow under her head. She lifted her head slightly to look around, but paused when she noticed her clothing. Her shoes were gone, her leggings and shorts were ripped, the lower half of her shirt was shredded and she had no more sleeves. Luz tried to get up, but a sudden shock of pain in her back forced her to lay back down. She must’ve made some sort of sound too, because five people suddenly came rushing into the living room from the kitchen. 

“Luz! You’re awake!” Amity was the first to speak, a wide smile on her face. That smile then turned to a worried frown as Luz didn’t respond and looked at her with dazed and pained eyes. “How are you feeling?”

Luz took a minute to respond. Her brain felt like mud. “I feel like I died a horrible, gruesome death and someone brought me back to life.” She managed to mumble out. After a couple seconds, Luz suddenly let out a loud gasp, everything coming back to her at once. She jumped up to her feet, eyes wide and terrified. She looked at her hands and then felt her ears, feeling some relief, but not much. “ _Ay, dios mio!_ Is everyone okay? D-did I hurt anyone? Did I do this to the house?!” 

She froze as a comforting hand was placed on her shoulder. She looked up at Eda, who was giving her a very sad look. That wasn’t normal. “Calm down, kid. Sit down and relax. You’re hurt.” She gestured to the bandages that were wrapped around her abdomen. The older witch sat down with Luz, who looked like she was about to have a breakdown. “How did this happen?” She asked gently. 

Luz felt tears threatening to break. “When you and King left, I-I got really bored...” She took a deep breath. She’s not allowed to cry yet. “I remembered how I found the ice glyph on my own a-and I thought I could learn a new spell, but I...” Her voice broke and she looked up at Eda with defeat in her eyes. “I think I cursed myself.”

Willow, Gus, and Amity watched as Luz just completely broke down, sobbing into Eda’s arms as the older witch wrapped her in a warm hug. King had clambered up onto Luz’s lap and curled up into a ball, doing his best to comfort his friend. After a few minutes, Luz sniffled, swallowing. “What are we gonna do? Is there a way to fix this?”

Eda gave a long sigh. “I don’t know.” She looked at the ground, a thoughtful look in her eyes. She then perked up a little bit, giving Luz a gentle smile. “But I do know someone who could help.”

”And... who would that be?” The cursed human looked up at Eda with tired and hurt, but hopeful, eyes.

”My sister.”


	6. ART OF CURSED!LUZ

hey howdy! just stopping by to drop off some art of what luz looks like through the different stages of her curse. this is my first art done for the owl house, and im thankful for the opportunity to practice human anatomy. anywoos, i'll leave yall to it. thanks for giving my first fanfic in literally a decade so much attention, and i will post more chapters soon!


	7. The News

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m a dirty simp for lumity. it’s going to find it’s way into this story

“Lilith?!” Luz squeaked. Her mind instantly traveled backed to the time when her, Eda, and King swapped bodies for a day, and she had gotten mixed up in Eda’s legal troubles. She remembered how Lilith was seemingly sweet and genuine on the surface, desperately trying to get Eda to join the Emperor’s Coven, but with a sinister and forceful undertone that Luz did NOT like. “A-are you sure?”

Eda let out a long sigh. “No, I’m not.” Her gaze drifted back to the floor. “But she has ties to the Emperor. If we can somehow convince her to help us, to help YOU, we’ll be set.” 

“I don’t know, Eda.” King said. “Last time we saw that crazy witch, she seemed pretty set on detaining you for life.”

Eda gave him a sharp glare. “No, me and Lily met up a few days back when some idiot tried to scam us in the market.” He pinched the bridge of her nose, obviously conflicted on this decision. “She’s still my sister. And, she’s the only hope we’ve got for making Luz normal again.” She gave the human an understanding look, which made Luz feel a little bit better about this whole mess. 

“If it’s any help,” Luz blinked when Amity spoke up. She had forgotten her friends were here. “I have lessons with Ms. Lilith today. I could tell her about this and ask her to help.” She gave Luz a warm smile, something that made her heart flutter for a second. Wait, what?

That thought was quickly thrown to the back of her brain when Eda shot off of the couch, wrapping Amity in a bear hug with a hearty laugh. “Oh thank the Gods! I thought I was gonna have to ask her myself and risk getting arrested.” Amity looked rather pissed off, but when she saw Luz burst out into laughter, she seemed to calm down. The human girl watched through teary eyes as Eda ruffled Amity’s hair with a smirk. 

“Thanks, kid.” The older witch said. She turned her attention to Willow and Gus, who have been watching the show quietly. “And thanks to all of ya. If Luz didn’t have friends like you, she would’ve been in a much worse situation than she was a few days ago.” 

Luz blinked, eyes widening. Did she just hear her mentor right? “A few days?” She parroted, frowning as Eda simply nodded in response. “Huh.” She murmured out, eyes shifting to the floor. 

“Hey, it’s okay, Luz!” Willow moved to sit down next to her friend, grasping both of her hands in an attempt to comfort her. “That wound of yours needed time to heal. It’s... it’s not pretty.” 

Luz winced slightly as she was reminded of the stinging pain in the right side of her lower back. “How did that even happen? I... I don’t remember much of... the incident.” Her voice grew quieter and quieter as her sentence went on. It was clear she was uncomfortable and embarrassed about the topic. 

Gus came over to sit on the arm of the couch, a concerned frown on his face. “You, uh...” He rubbed at the back of his neck, looking away for a second. “You got shot with a crossbow.” 

Luz felt her blood run cold. She knew Warden Wrath new of her curse, but that’s it. She didn’t know anyone outside of this friend group saw her. “I got SHOT?!” She blurted out, standing up quickly. She gasped and doubled over in pain as shooting pains raced through her torso, eyes shut tight. She recovered quickly though, panic overpowering her pain receptors. “Who else saw me?”

She was met with deafening silence. Everyone’s gaze seemed to go literally anywhere but her, which made her nerves skyrocket even more. She was sharply brought back to reality as strong, but soft hands grasped hers, giving a gentle squeeze. It was Amity. “Luz,” She started, voice low but warm at the same time. “You escaped from the Conformitorium with several dozen guards chasing you.” She paused, locking eyes with the cursed human. “Only a few managed to run away.” 

Luz felt like something inside her snapped. She stared blankly ahead, tears streaming down her face. This was the worst possible thing that could’ve happened with this curse. And, it happened. She killed people. Sure, they were Emperor’s Guards, a whole bunch of single-minded cronies who Luz was almost certain they were all clones, but they were still living beings. And she had lost control and KILLED them. Like an animal. 

Luz was snapped out of her trance as Amity hissed in pain and yanked her hands away, holding them close to her chest and giving the cursed human a scared and concerned look. Luz blinked and looked down at her own hands, eyes widening in terror. It happened again. Sharp black talons sprouted from her nails, and black fur had covered her paw-like hands and ended at her wrists. She looked back up at Amity’s hands, noticing subtle scratch marks. 

“Luz,” The green haired witch tried reaching out to her, but she was too late. Luz began to hyperventilate, turning around and sprinting around the corner, into the kitchen, and straight out of the back door. She heard several voices behind her, but she barely registered them as she booked it into the woods behind the Owl House. Another awful possibility of this curse had come true. She hurt her friend. 

Lost in thought, she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going at all. She suddenly let out a yelp as her foot wedged itself under a tree root, leading to a nasty fall. Luz let out a cry of agony as she tumbled onto her back, literally feeling the wound reopen. She just laid there on her back, pain clouding her conscious as she stared at the red canopy above her. 

For all she knew, she could’ve been just laying there for hours before she could hear footsteps approaching her. “Please, I just need some time alone.” She wheezed out, pain in her back almost overwhelming. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she got no reply, and she sat up with a wince. There was no one around her. Eyes widening in sudden realization, both monstrous hands clasped the sides of her head, and sure enough, she felt pointy and fuzzy ears. Luz just let out a defeated sigh and laid back down, letting out another yelp of pain. 

The footsteps finally reached her. She felt someone stand near the top of her head, and frowned as Eda leaned into her line of sight. “Come on, kid. Get up.” The older witch held her hand out, offering to help Luz up. She had a few feathers sprouting out of her arm, and she had a tired look in her eyes. The human reluctantly took up on the offer, gently grabbing her outstretched hand and pulling herself up with a sharp inhale. Her back really, really hurt. “Let’s get you some new bandages and a bottle of elixir.” 

Luz had her arms crossed as they walked back to the house, looking as if she was giving herself an awkward and uncomfortable hug. “Is Amity okay?” She managed to say. She had a lump in her throat that made speaking difficult. 

She didn’t look up at her mentor, but she could swear she could feel Eda roll her eyes and shake her head with a small grin. “She’s fine, Luz. All you did was scratch her. You didn’t even break her skin.” Luz felt some pressure come off her shoulders as she heard that her friend was alright. “The kids went to school, so now you can get some good and proper rest for that nasty hole in your back to heal.” 

Luz managed to smile. Despite everything that just got thrown onto her conscious, she still managed to have a small smile form on her lips. They got back into the house and settled Luz down onto the semi-repaired couch. King came out of the kitchen with two bottles of elixir, holding them out to Eda and Luz with an uncharacteristic but adorable grin. As Eda finished patching Luz back up, the two took the bottles with grateful smiles. They drank them quickly, Eda perking back up quickly. 

Luz, however, had the opposite effect. Just like when she was in her fully cursed form, she almost immediately fell into a comfortable slumber. Eda frowned, looking down at the sleeping human as her wolf-like features gradually returned to normal. It was strange for the elixir to have this effect on her. Thank the Gods it worked for her, but why was it making her tired? Humans probably reacted to curses differently. Eda sighed and shook her head, feeling sadness creep into her heart. Luz was the most eccentric, happy, easy-going person she has ever known in her long life, so seeing her injured and scared and cursed was heartbreaking. 

Eda lost track of time as she sat on the couch next to Luz, who had curled up into a ball in her slumber. She was shaken from her thoughts as someone loudly and frantically pounded on the door. Luz jumped awake, giving Eda a dazed and confused look. The older witch met her gaze with concern, then she stood up to meet whoever was completely freaking out. She opened the door to see a young green haired witch, whose eyes were wide with terror. “Oh, it’s you!” She raised an eyebrow as Amity pushed her way inside, both hands on her head as she panicked. “So, did you talk to my sister?”

Amity cringed, still with a hint of fear in her eyes. “Y-yeah, I did, but umm...” She pointed out the window at something that Eda didn’t really want to look at. “She didn’t take it very well.” 

Eda’s eyes went wide and she whipped around to look out the window, frowning angrily as she watched her sister, flanked with several Emperor’s Coven soldiers, emerge from the wilderness path. “Lilith, you slimy bitch.” She hissed under her breath. 


	8. The Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyo! sorry for the wait y’all. we’ve been extremely busy with yardwork, and i’ve barely had the chance to get a chapter written. but finally, i cooked up a special treat. a long chapter to make up for the week long camping vacation i’m about to go on LMAO. i promise to post another chapter as SOON as i get back. love y’all and stay safe!

“Edalyn Clawthorne and Luz the Hu-“ The four of them heard Lilith let out a low chuckle. “Excuse me. Luz the Wolf!” She called. “You are both wanted criminals, enemies of the state as declared by the Emperor!” Welp, there goes asking Lilith for help. Luz sunk into the couch shamefully as she heard Lilith’s announcement. The Wolf? Is that really her criminal nickname? “Step outside of the house with your hands in the air and you will be arrested peacefully.”

“Eda, what do we do?!” Luz whispered frantically. Her eyes were wide with panic. “I can’t get arrested here! My mom will KILL me!” 

“We’re not going to get arrested.” Eda growled, not taking her eyes off her sister. There was fury and betrayal shimmering in her golden gaze, and it made Luz’s heart hurt a little bit. “I’m going to go out there and get them off my property. You kids stay in here.” 

Amity looked to the floor, brow furrowed and eyes narrowed. “No,” she said sternly, looking back up at the elder witch. “I’m going to help you. I led them here. I caused this, and I’m going to fix this.” There was something about the fiery way she spoke that made Luz smile, her admiration towards the witch growing stronger. 

Eda stared Amity down, a deep frown etching onto her face. She once again pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration, finally letting out an exasperated sigh. “Fine. But you’re going to have to wear a disguise. I don’t want a kid like you ruining your life by getting in bad trouble with the law.” Eda drew a small spell circle in the air, summoning a long, dark cloak that wrapped itself around Amity and pulled its hood over her head. The hood of the cloak concealed her entire face in darkness, not letting a single feature be distinguishable. “There. That’ll do it.” 

Luz jumped to her feet. “Let me come too! I’ve got that ice spell, I can make walls and-“ She paused as Eda held up her hand. 

“Absolutely not. You’re hurt, Luz.” She walked over to her and put both hands on her shoulders, giving her a sincere and apologetic gaze. “You need to stay in here with King. I do not want you getting captured or hurt again, got it?” When Luz’s only response was to shift her miserable gaze to the floor, Eda sighed and pulled her into a hug. “Just, promise me you’ll stay inside the house, please?”

Luz sat back down, eyes not leaving the floor. She felt so ashamed of herself that she did not want to make eye contact with anyone in the room, not even her favorite little demon who had crawled into her lap to give her a concerned but soft look. “Okay. I promise.” She mumbled out. As Eda turned away to leave, she suddenly grabbed her wrist, making the elder witch turn around with surprised eyes. “As long as you promise me you’ll be okay. Both of you.” She smiled up at Amity, and even through the blackness of her hood, Luz could feel the warmth of her gaze. 

“Fine.” Eda said with a light-hearted chuckle. Luz released her grasp, and the two witches stood in front of the door, tensed. “Ready, kid?” Eda smirked down at Amity. 

“Ready.” Her voice was muffled and deeper because of the magic in the cloak, making her identity that much more of a secret. 

“Then let’s get ‘em!” Eda shouted and kicked the door open, resulting in a yelp from Hooty. The powerful witch twirled her staff in a wide circle in front of her, creating a gust of wind from the spell circle that blew back the soldiers and Lilith. 

Eda’s opening move gave Amity enough time to draw several spell circles of her own on the ground, each glowing a deep purple. “Abominations,” She shouted, holding both hands in the air, crackling with power. “Rise!” As she slammed her hands into the dirt, out of the circles rose six large abominations, groaning in a zombie like manner as they awaited their commands. It’s clear that Amity has been practicing hard with her magic since the Covention incident. “Abominations, attack!” She pointed at the soldiers, who were just now getting to their feet and preparing spell circles of their own. 

The abominations rushed forwards, letting out brainless moans as four of them managed to each grab a soldier and melt into a sticky pile of goo, effectively incapacitating them. The other two abominations, however, weren’t so lucky. They were blasted into purple chunks by fire spells, the last two soldiers rushing towards Amity through the smoke created by their spells. 

Eda’s battle with Lilith was starting out to be just like their witches duel from the Covention. Both of them blasted out flames from the ends of their staffs, spells connecting with a shockwave. Lilith, however, broke the connection, stepping to the side just as Eda’s magic flew straight past her, igniting several trees on fire. Eda’s defenses were down. Lilith summoned several shards of ice, and with a wave of her staff, shot them directly at her sister. Eda had just barely managed to conjure up a shield, shards piercing and shattering it. “Hey!” Eda sounded furious. “That could’ve killed me!”

“It would’ve incapacitated you long enough for me to bring you to the Emperor!” Lilith hissed as she summoned a wave of blue flames, slamming her staff down and sending the flames at Eda. The cursed witch twirled her staff, once again conjuring a gust of wind, blowing through the wall and sending Lilith into the trees. Eda had a brief moment to glance at Amity to see if she was doing alright, and she noticed the girl had summoned two more abominations to defend herself from the Coven soldiers. 

Meanwhile, Luz and King watched the whole thing through the window. The human was biting at her nails nervously, wincing every time one of the soldiers got too close to Amity. She desperately wanted to help, but Eda was right. The pain in her back was unrelenting and she knew she would be more of a burden than an asset. 

King must’ve noticed her nerves getting the better of her and placed a comforting paw on her arm. “Luz, they’re gonna be fine. Eda is the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles, and that cupcake murderer is the protégé of the leader of the Emperor’s Coven.” He smiled as Luz seemed to relax a little bit. 

She winced as she sat up a little bit, leaning away from the window. “Yeah, yeah you’re right. They’re the best witches I know. I shouldn’t be worried! It - It’s not like once false move can end them  up in prison, or dead! Haha!” Nope, she’s still deathly nervous. She felt a strange tingling in her hands as she got more and more worried, but she took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself down. King squeezed her arm, and that seemed to do the trick. Her nerves calmed once more, and the tingling sensation went away. “They’ll be fine.” She assured herself. 

That thought vanished instantly as an agonized scream came from outside. Luz’s eyes went wide and her blood ran cold as she immediately recognized the voice. She frantically looked out the window and spotted Amity, grabbing at her upper arm as smoke rose from under her hand. The young witch stumbled backwards as the two Coven soldiers slowly and menacingly closed in on her, cornering her against the wall of the house. 

Amity was hurt. Amity was going to get captured, or worse. Luz felt something within herself snap again, and she didn’t realize a deep growl rumbled from her chest as the terrified pit in her stomach boiled into a fiery rage. Her grip on the windowsill grew tighter until it splintered, finally snapping under her hands. 

“Luz, wait!-“ King tried to call out, but it all happened in an instant. Luz had vaulted straight through the window. 

☾

Amity felt her back hit the wall behind her. This was it. The two Coven soldiers slowly prowled towards her, both of their hands engulfed with fire spells, crackling and hot. She felt the horrible sting of her wound beneath her hand, acutely aware of her smoldering flesh. The amount of pain she was in came no where near the substantial amount of terror she felt. The soldiers’ menacing raven-like masks seemed to stare into her soul. Amity simply closed her eyes and scrunched up her face, awaiting the horrible agony of dying by fire. 

She froze and her eyes popped open as she heard the window above her shatter. The soldiers were thrown into the trees in an instant, both of them letting out cries of pain and surprise. Even they didn’t know what hit them. Amity looked up to see Luz standing defensively in front of her, claws tensed and ears pinned to her skull. “Amity! Are you okay?!” She asked desperately as she turned around to help her friend up. Her voice had a bit of a growl to it, and her eyes hid the tiniest bit of fury behind the concern and terror. 

Amity blinked, looking down as Luz’s paws gently grasped her own hands. “I-I’m fine,” she said with a wince. Well, that wasn’t very convincing. “They just burned my arm. I’ll be fine. Are YOU okay?” She returned the question as Luz released her hands and put her paws to her own head, eyes narrowing and small fangs bared. 

Luz released a breath, face relaxing. “Yeah,” she murmured. “I-I just gotta keep this under control.” The cursed human looked down at her paws, a deep frown etched on her face. “I don’t know what happened. I heard you scream, a-and next thing I knew, it... started again.” She lowered her head shamefully, anger building up in her slowly brightening eyes. “Why is it happening again? I JUST drank an elixir!” She slammed her fist into the wall with a growl.

Her heavy breathing subsided as Amity rested a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay. We’ll figure this out.” Luz sighed and nodded, a small smile gracing her lips. Both of their heads shot up at the sound of rustling leaves as the two Coven soldiers and Lilith emerged from the undergrowth, all looking rather pissed off. “But, for now, we’ve got bigger problems to deal with.” 

“Edalyn,” Lilith hissed through clenched teeth, her hands gripping her staff tight. “I have given you so many chances to redeem yourself. Time and time again you refuse my help, and now you have the AUDACITY to attack my soldiers and I?” 

“This doesn’t really look like help, Lily.” Eda retorted, now standing next to Luz and Amity. She held her staff casually at her side as she smirked at her sister’s infuriated expression. 

“THAT. IS. IT!” Lilith shrieked as she slammed her staff against the ground, stones rapidly rising out of the grass in a trail towards the trio. They didn’t have time to move as the pillars of earth launched them a good distance into the air. Eda, Luz, and Amity landed a little ways away from where they originally were in front of the house, Luz letting out an agonized scream as her back hit the ground. 

“I am DONE trying to help you, sister.” Lilith spit the last word out of her mouth like venom. She marched up to the trio slowly, her staff crackling with lightning-like magic. “Your arrogance knows no bounds. Your ego is unchecked. You have no remorse for breaking my heart.” She actually sounded hurt in the last sentence. She shook her head, pointing her staff at the defenseless witches and human. “You are no longer my family. You’re wanted, dead or alive, and I am taking you in the easier way.” As the magic in the staff built up at the end, snapping and glowing brighter, Luz, Amity, and Eda pulled each other into a hug for quite possibly the final time. 

“NO!” The trios’ eyes went wide as they heard a shriek coming from the house, and in an instant, King had launched himself at Lilith’s face. The witch screamed in fury, the lighting spell in her staff blasting into the air above the three criminals with a thunderous boom. The little demon clung on, pulling at her hair and scratching at her face. “If you’re going to kill my friends, you’ll have to get through me, worm!” He cackled as he slammed his little fists against her head. 

The two Coven soldiers who flanked her exchanged a confused glance before attempting to pry King off of their leader’s face. While they were distracted, Eda got to her feet. “You kids need to go. Now.” She whispered fiercely to them. 

The witch and human remained on the ground, however. Amity was holding Luz in a tight embrace, the human trembling in pain as blood seeped into the bandages wrapped around her abdomen. “N-no,” Luz murmured. “She’s going to kill you. I’m going to stay to help.” She inhaled sharply as she left Amity’s arms and stood up, eyes burning with determination and a slightly feral anger. The young witch beside her also rose to her feet, ignoring the smell of her own burnt flesh. 

Eda looked about ready to explode. She balled her fists up and took a deep breath, then sighed, relaxing. “Alright, fine. But if she doesn’t kill you two by the end of this fight, I will.” Amity and Luz exchanged a glance, smiling and giggling slightly at the same time. 

All three of them jumped suddenly at the sound of an explosion. They looked up just in time to see a smoky little ball being launched off of Lilith’s face, slamming into a stone pillar and cracking it behind him. The trio watched in silence as King fell from the pillar, landing so softly in a small pile of smoldering fur. 

“KING!” Luz shrieked, ignoring the screaming agony in her back as she sprinted over to her friend’s aid. She fell to her knees beside him, eyes widening as she scooped him up into her arms. He remained motionless, not even the slightest hint of his chest rising and falling. Luz put her head against his chest, hoping and praying that her wolf-like ears can pick up a heartbeat. She sat there for a moment, completely still, desperately trying to hear any sign that he was still alive. There was none.

Eda and Amity came up behind her as she hung her head and wept, agonized tears falling onto her fallen friend’s fur. Amity rested her hand on her friends shoulder, only to flinch away quickly. Luz’s skin was hot to the touch, and she was trembling hard. The two witches slowly backed away as an earth-shaking growl emanated from their cursed friend. Luz gently laid King on the ground before standing up, paws clenched and shaking. 

The two coven soldiers had absolutely zero time to react as they were swiped off their feet. It happened almost instantly. They watched the cursed human stand, and next thing they new, they were face-to-face with a fourteen foot tall wolf demon charging at them. The beast grabbed their heads in each paw, lifting them high off the ground. Muffled screams of agony came through her paws as she steadily squeezed their heads, the soldiers thrashing and fighting to get free. 

A sickening pop rang through the air as the thrashing soldiers suddenly went very very still. The monster threw their bodies haphazardly over the cliff near the Owl House, turning to face her last enemy. Lilith’s face was etched with terror as she backed away from the demon who stared her down. Luz’s eyes shined with a crazed sadness, and tears rolled down her wolffish face. 

The Coven leader suddenly grasped the edge of her cape, pulling it up and across her chest. Her form dissipated into magic as the beast’s massive claws struck now empty air. Luz snarled and looked around frantically, her eyes wide. After realizing her enemy was now gone, she threw her head back and let out a long, mournful howl. 

Eda was sitting down, cradling King’s motionless form in her arms. She watched as her monstrous apprentice fell to her paws and knees, letting out low whines that sounded like it was a wolf demon’s form of sobbing. The elder witch let out a sigh, turning her gaze back to her lifeless companion and running her fingers through his fur. 

Amity pulled her hood down, blinking as the action caused the magical cloak around her shoulders to vanish. She slowly and cautiously approached her cursed friend, still very intimidated by her size. She knew Luz wouldn’t hurt her, though. She trusted the once-human. The young witch now stood next to the beast, who’s head was hung low. Amity moved to see her face, and saw that her teeth were bared and tears streamed from her tightly closed eyes. Her ears were pinned to her skull, and her broad shoulders shook as the monster sobbed. 

Amity let out a sad sigh and rested her hand on her shoulder, giving a gentle and affectionate squeeze. She let out a quiet gasp as the beast leaned into her touch, whines growing quieter. Both Luz and Amity moved to sit with their legs crossed, the huge beast still leaning into her friend. They sat there for what seemed like forever, but both were content with not moving. 

That is, until Amity felt movement from where the beast’s arm leaned into the witch’s shoulder. She watched as her friend slowly shrunk back down to her normal size, wolffish features returning to her normal human body. Luz now had her head resting on Amity’s shoulder as she sniffled and hiccuped, sobs subsiding at the comfort of the green haired witch’s touch. With a blush gracing her face, Amity began gently running her fingers through Luz’s hair, an action that she knew for a fact could comfort just about anyone. 

Their moment was ruined as they heard a small cough behind them. Both kids shot up to their feet and whipped around to face Eda and King, eyes widening. King let out another hacking cough, slowly opening his eyes and letting out a long, low groan. “I’m never dying again. That sucked.” 

“King!” Luz exclaimed, rushing forwards to kneel next to the tiny demon. “Y-you’re alive! But how? You had no heartbeat, a-and you weren’t breathing...” 

King stretched and hopped out of Eda’s arms, popping his back. “Oh, I definitely didn’t have a heartbeat. But hey! I’m okay! Demons can regenerate from almost anything. Why do you think Eda can survive her head being cut off?” 

Luz and Amity both blinked in confusion. “Wait,” Amity said. “So, she’s cursed, too?” She gestured to Eda, and she was met with three individual nods. “Well, that doesn’t explain why Luz’s back won’t heal.” 

King walked around his human friend to look at her wound, rubbing at his chin, deep in thought. “Must not be a demon,” He said simply, shrugging. He yelped as Luz suddenly scooped him up into a strong hug, and after struggling for a minute, he finally gave up and embraced his friend back. 


	9. The Library

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m back babeyyy, have a long and fluffy chapter. haha lumity make me go 🥺♥️
> 
> also, shameless plug for my instagram @oh.no.wraith follow me to see occasional art and maybe a comic of this story coming soon :)

Her heart pounded with terror as branches whipped at her face and neck. She sprinted for as long and as hard as she could, desperately trying to gain distance from her pursuer. She heard the bone-chilling grunts and growls as her hidden foe gave chase, but she dared not risk a glance. She didn’t know why she was running or what she was running from, but she knew her life was in danger and she would do anything she could to preserve it. 

That is, until she skid to a sudden and painful halt. She felt a shockwave of pain run through the right side of her back, but she bit back her agonized cry. She panted, out of breath as she looked out over the cliff she almost ran off of, swallowing and stepping back as the pebbles underfoot fell to the sea two hundred feet below. “ _Mierda_ ,” she hissed under her breath.

Hefty footsteps behind her made her whip around suddenly, eyes widening in terror as her purser finally revealed itself. She knew this monster. She’s seen it somewhere before, somewhere bleak and lifeless. The towering black beast now stood tall in the red light of the Bloodmoon that hovered low in the heavens. She could see all of its features now, and narrowed her eyes in confusion. This terrifying monster was wearing HER clothes, tattered and torn and stretched. While she was caught up in her own confusion, the beast saw its chance and tackled her painfully off of the cliff. 

☾

Luz jolted awake with a scream that tore at her throat, sweat trickling down her face and back. She breathed heavily, still feeling the impact on her torso from the beast that plagued her dreams. “Luz?!” She heard a worried voice from the living room. The light sounds of little paws sprinting through the house made her calm down a little bit, recognizing the sound to be King running to her aid. The little demon burst into the room, eyes darting around to find the danger. “Luz, are you okay?” He asked, still tense. 

The cursed human released the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “Yeah, yeah. I’m good.” She gave him a weak smile, opening her arms up to invite her best friend for a hug. She felt warmth blossom in her heart where there was once paralyzing fear, and she finally relaxed as the fluffy little demon wrapped his paws around her as much as he could and squeezed. “I just had a nightmare.” 

“Oooh! What about?” King squealed in excitement, making Luz raise an eyebrow in confusion. 

“Well, uh,” She started, trying to recall the nightmare that was quickly leaving her conscious. “I was running through the woods from something. Something big and scary and I think it wanted to eat me. I almost ran off a cliff and turned around to see this huge monster with, like, pitch black fur and huge claws and teeth. And then it tackled me off the cliff and I woke up.” 

King blinked, his expression flat. “Well that was kind of boring,” He whined. 

Luz scoffed, mocking an offended tone. “Well excuse me! It’s hard to explain dreams, y’know.” 

Luz and King both jumped as they heard a sigh from the doorway, turning to face Eda who had managed to sneak up on them. “That thing you saw in your dreams sounds an awful lot like you, kid.” 

The human girl blinked, eyes widening. “What? What do you mean?” She stood up from her sleeping bag, stretching as much as she could without aggravating the healing ravine-like wound on her back. 

The elder witch gave her an understanding and sad look. “It’s hard hearing about what you look like for the first time. Trust me, I know. But that big ol’ beast in your nightmare is what you look like when your curse fully manifests.” She put a comforting hand on her student’s shoulder as her expression turned sad and embarrassed and her gaze fell to the floor. “But hey, on another note, you’ve got visitors.” She saw the light return to Luz’s eyes and smiled. 

Eda blinked in surprise as Luz took off towards the door. The girl looked a lot healthier than she has in days, probably due to the fact that Eda and Amity finally did some difficult healing acceleration magic on Luz’s back. “Hey! Be careful with that hole in your back. That was pretty hard for us to patch up.” 

Luz slowed down a little, casting an apologetic smile over her shoulder as she reached the door.She grabbed the handle, but then paused. Her mind had wandered back to when her paw had straight up crushed the wrought iron like it was nothing. She shook the guilt out of her mind and opened the door, brightening up at the sight of her friends. “Hey guys!” She chirped. “Wait, shouldn’t you all be in school?” 

Willow, Gus, and Amity all smiled. “It’s library day!” Gus matched the human’s eccentric energy, books clasped tight in his grasp. 

“We came to bring you with us so we can do research on curses and cures!” Willow beamed, a comforting smile on her face. 

Luz was excited for a moment, but then froze, feeling her happiness pop and deflate like a balloon. “I-I can’t, guys. I’m wanted, remember?” 

Amity stepped up and gave Luz a warm smile, sympathy shimmering in her beautiful golden eyes. Beautiful? “Remember that cloak that the Owl Lady gave me yesterday for that... whole fiasco?” Luz nodded. “Well, I still have it, if that helps.”

Luz perked back up again as the green haired witch summoned the magical cloak with a small spell circle, the article of clothing outlined with a golden aura as it wrapped itself around the cursed human’s shoulders. The cloak covered almost every inch of her body, only leaving her forearms, hands, and legs uncovered. She relaxed, knowing her identity would be completely concealed when she pulls the baggy hood up. “Thanks, Amity.” Luz smiled. 

As the witch smiled and turned away, Luz could swear she could see a little bit of a blush. “Hey, it’s no problem.” She started walking away, waving her hand for the others to follow. “Now let’s go before we’re counted absent for the day.” 

☾

It was significantly busier in the library today than normal. The quiet hustle and bustle that usually went on in the grand building was instead replaced with the chaotic ruckus created by students scrambling to get the books they needed for the next subject in their classes, or rushing to the clerk to turn in their textbooks before they had to owe late fees. 

The packed building made Luz’s nerves spike, and she shrunk down farther into her cloak. “A-are you sure I should be here?” Her voice was muffled by the magical article of clothing. “There’s too many people. I don’t - “

She paused as Amity shook her head. “Luz, it’ll be alright. Plus we need you here to tell us the exact symptoms of your curse so we can identify it correctly.” She gave her friend a comforting look, which should’ve calmed her nerves down, but the cursed human’s anxiety remained at its peak.

The four kids settled down on a secluded table in a dim corner of the library. On their way over to their table, Gus had pulled quite a hefty and ancient book out of a dusty shelf. He now placed it on the table, it’s weight shaking the legs of it. “The Atlas of Demons!” He announced the title proudly. “This baby holds every bit of knowledge witchkind has on demons and curses. It’s got to have something about a cure in here!” 

Willow, Amity and Luz gathered around as he cracked the ancient book open, eyes wide with wonder. All four jumped backwards, coughing and choking as dust and cobwebs burst out of the aged pages. “Gods, that thing is old.” Amity managed to sputter out. 

Willow was the first to recover from the dust attack, slightly closing the book to look at the cover. After a moment of studying the cracked and peeling art with narrowed eyes, she blinked in surprise. “This book is dated all the way back to 1621! It might still have the ancient records in it!” 

The four kids started to flip through the pages, eyes widening with wonder as they read the descriptions of various demons that inhabited the Boiling Isles. “...turns its victim inside out using only its tongue. Wow! So efficient!” Gus read a section out loud, gushing over the monster on the page. 

The rest of the lighthearted conversation between the three witches dimmed from Luz’s mind as her nerves began to spike again. The library was just... so busy. And, everywhere she looked, she could see wanted posters of herself. She knew she was wearing a magical identity-concealing cloak, but someone was bound to recognize her. She could feel people staring at her. She could practically hear their voices, questioning her. What was this random hooded figure doing with these students? 

Luz gripped the edge of the table, breaths shallow as she attempted to steel her nerves. There was just so many sounds and smells and she felt that tingly sensation all over her body again. The crowd seemed to be closing in on her. Her eyes darted from student to student, feeling as if they were going to leap from their seats or drop their books and pounce on her at any second. 

Then, she froze. Her eyes went wide and her grip on the table grew stronger until it creaked and groaned under her fingers. Two Emperor’s Coven soldiers, seeming to tower above the ranks of students busily rushing through the library. They were here. Why were they here? Did they know where she was? Who told them? Who saw her? She couldn’t take her eyes off of them as they began to maneuver through the crowd, not heading in her direction, but definitely searching for something. 

“Luz?” Amity’s concerned voice snapped her out of her terrified trance. She whipped around, eyes wide, almost jumping out of her chair. “What’s wrong?” 

The cursed human swallowed the anxious knot in her throat. “They’re here,” She croaked, pointing in the soldier’s direction without taking her eyes off of her friends. She didn’t want to look at the Coven members in fear that if she saw them, they would see her. She blinked in confusion as all three of her friends gasped, but their fear and worry wasn’t directed to the soldiers.

“Luz, your hand!” Gus whispered, backing up from her slightly. 

Luz felt a pit open up in her stomach, and she followed his gaze to her pointing hand. She gasped as she WATCHED her hand transform. Her fingers grew thicker and stronger, black fur enveloping her entire hands as they grew slightly larger in size. Sharp black claws grew from her nails, and in a few moments, both of her hands were fully transformed into the paws of the beast. “Oh no.” Luz murmured. 

Amity sprung into action as the transformation didn’t just stop at Luz’s hands. She grabbed the cursed human’s wrist, shivering slightly as she felt the fur begin to spread down to her forearms. “Gus,” She barked. “You have me added on Penstagram. Message me when everyone leaves the library and we’ll meet you back here.” Without waiting for a response, she dragged Luz along with her as she ran through the crowds of students, far too fast for them to turn their attention to the two.

The girls sprinted all the way to a section of books titled “ROMANCE”. Amity breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that no one was in this section of the library at all. She grabbed a thick green book titled “The Lone Witch & Secret Room”. As she pulled it out of the shelf slightly, mechanics could be heard within the walls, clicking and thunking as the whole shelf slid out of the way. Amity dragged her friend into her secret hideout, drawing a small spell circle in the air to close the secret room. 

As soon as the door was shut, Amity whipped around to face Luz. The cursed human was standing rigid, arms crossed tightly as if she was giving herself a hug. “Luz, you have to calm down!” Amity said. “I think your curse is tied to your emotions.” 

Luz pulled her hood down, her breaths coming out like gasps. Her ears had changed to those of a wolf’s during their run, and her eyes were in the process of changing color. “I am the WORST person to have a curse that’s activated by extreme emotions. I am a VERY EMOTIONAL PERSON.” Both paws went to her head as she attempted to take deep breaths, but to no avail. Her bared teeth sharpened into fangs, and her anxious and labored breathing had a little bit of a growl behind it. 

Amity didn’t know what else to do. She knew Luz wouldn’t hurt her when she transformed all the way, but she couldn’t just sit there and watch her best friend suffer. She perked up suddenly, an idea popping up in her mind. The witch remembered how she was able to bring Luz back to her normal form just by sitting there with her after the beast’s sad rampage. If she could find some way to comfort her friend, it might slow down the transformation. 

She was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard a grunt from Luz. The cursed human fell on her rear, legs now fully transformed into wolf legs. She stayed on the ground, pulling her knees close to her chest, hyperventilating as she began to slowly increase in size. 

Amity took a deep breath and went for it. She lunged forwards and wrapped her friend in a strong, warm hug. The witch felt a twinge of relief as Luz froze, her breathing slowing down and changes halting. “It’s okay, Luz.” Amity breathed, a slight blush on her face as she let the next few words come from her heart. “I’ve got you.” She blinked as she felt the half-beast embrace her back, giving the witch a little bit of a squeeze. 

The two girls sat there for a minute, completely content in each other’s arms. After a while, Amity pulled away, a massive blush on her face. “Hey, I’m sorry for bringing you out here.” Her voice was soft and she shamefully looked away from her friend with a sigh. “I shouldn’t have made you stay after you tried to tell me you were nervous.”

Luz smiled, shaking her head. “It’s not your fault, Amity.” Her voice surprised the green haired witch. It was noticeably deeper, with quite the aggressive growl behind it. But, despite her being three quarters of the way through her transformation, she tried to make her voice sound soft and forgiving. “Crowds don’t usually make me nervous like that. I-I don’t know what came over me.” She sighed, looking down at her monstrous hands. “Maybe this curse makes me a little bit more emotional. Somehow.” 

Amity let out a lighthearted laugh at Luz’s little comment at the end there. “Yeah, I’m surprised someone like you could be any more emotional than you already are.” They laughed together for a moment, but stopped abruptly as Luz winced and inhaled sharply. She brought a paw to her head, eyes shut tight and fangs bared. “Luz, what’s wrong? Are you alright?” 

Luz hesitated, slowly blinking open her eyes. Her pupils were significantly smaller, but not totally feral yet. She looked at Amity with confusion for a moment, then recognition flickered in her vibrant golden eyes. “Y-yeah,” She eventually managed to mumble. “I don’t think my brain has made it this far before.” She frowned, a sad look on her face. “Amity, it’s fine if you want to leave me in here. I-I don’t want to hurt you.” 

Amity knelt down in front of the beast-to-be, taking both of her paws into her hands. “I have been with you both times you’ve transformed all the way.” Her voice was warm and soothing, and her smile was soft and genuine. She gave Luz’s paws a gentle squeeze. “Both times, you’ve tried to protect me and your friends from what you deemed threats. The first one was the Owl Lady and the little demon, but that was because you didn’t recognize them immediately. The second time,” She paused, gesturing to the bandage wrapped around her left bicep. “Well, you defended us from the Emperor’s Coven.” 

A relieved smiled graced Luz’s face. “Wow,” Was all she could manage to get out, amazed that she wasn’t going to be a totally feral monster. That smile vanished quickly though as she felt her more human thoughts slow down again. She blinked rapidly, pupils shrinking to pinpricks, then dilating back out. She didn’t have much time before she lost her battle to keep the curse from her conscious. “Hey, Amity?” She asked slowly. “Could you... could you maybe read Azura out loud for me? I want to be distracted from... this.” 

Amity blinked. She didn’t even notice, but the whole time they were sitting here talking, Luz’s curse was getting worse and worse. She now resembled more demon than human, she just wasn’t as big or fluffy and didn’t have the head of a wolf. The witch then smiled, nodding to her friend and grabbing the fourth Azura book off of the shelf behind her. She sat down beside Luz, who had curled up on the floor with her head resting on her paws. Amity cracked open the book and began to read her favorite part out loud to the cursed human. 

“‘Hecate,’ Azura began. Her face was steeled with an unreadable expression. ‘You have been my rival for years. We have fought countless battles against one another, but today you have shown true valor and honor as we fought by each other’s side.’ The Good Witch smiled and wrapped the dark witch in a strong embrace. ‘And for that, you have my thanks.’

Hecate scoffed, but smiled. ‘You have spared my life in every battle we’ve fought. It was only fair that I would save yours, Good Witch.’ She returned the embrace of her enemy, now friend.” Amity paused, blinking in confusion at the strange rumbling sound that come from beside her. She looked over to see Luz, now fully transformed, peacefully slumbering. Amity smiled and ran her fingers through the fur on the top of the beast’s head, finding the purr-like sound she made to be incredibly cute. The witch leaned up against the monster’s shoulder and continued to read silently to herself, a warm and content feeling settling over her. 

They sat there for what seemed like hours, Luz gently snoring and Amity finishing the rest of the book and beginning the fifth book. The witch turned her attention from the book to the desk that sat in her hideout as a low buzz emanated from the scroll she had summoned earlier. Amity stood up, chuckling lightly as the beast let out an unconscious grumble of protest, and walked up to the desk. She picked up her scroll, reading the message that was magically displayed on her lock screen. 

💀 Gus 🔹

_ everyone left, and the clerk closed the library early to clean. we hid until he left. we’re the only people here now lmao _

Amity breathed out sharply through her nose in amusement. She opened her DM’s, typing a response to Gus. 

_ omw. just have to find a way to wake up this huge lump of fur _

💀 Gus 🔹

_ lump of fur??? did she go all the way wolfy???? _

_ yeah, but she’s fine. we’ll just have to get an elixir from the owl lady _

With a small spell circle, Amity banished her scroll. She made her way back over to her sleeping friend, pursing her lips as she thought of the best way to wake her up. She didn’t want to risk startling the beast, so jostling her awake wasn’t the move. Neither was shouting. Suddenly, she perked up, the perfect idea popping up in her mind. The witch knelt down in front of the sleeping monster, summoning a small orb of light. She held the light in front of Luz’s face, watching as the beast’s brow furrowed. She growled in protest and blinked open her eyes, glaring at the small orb for a moment before looking at it with wonder. 

Amity backed away as Luz stretched, both front paws sliding forwards along the floor as much as she could. The beast yawned, flashing her massive fangs before smacking her lips, blinking sleep from her eyes. “Good morning.” Amity said sarcastically, chuckling as the wolf demon tilted her head and gave her a huge smile. “Come on, you big dork. Let’s go find you a cure.” Amity opened the hideout door with a spell, leaning out and checking both ways just to make sure Gus wasn’t lying about EVERYONE being gone. 

When she was satisfied, she led the great beast out of her hideout and back over to their table. She narrowed her eyes in confusion as she watched Gus and Willow have hushed but excited conversation about something, pointing at the Atlas of Demons book and high-fiving. Gus looked up, a wide smile on his face as he spotted Luz and Amity. “Amity! Oh my Gods you won’t believe what we just found!”

Amity walked up beside the two witches, studying the page they were so excited about for a moment before gasping with wide eyes. The page held an illustration of a creature that looked remarkably like the beast that stood behind them now, with the big bold word “WEREWOLF” at the top of the page. 

Willow took the book for a moment, reading out various details about werewolves. “‘Transformations caused by extreme emotion’? Check. ‘Docile to those it knew before transformation’? Check. ‘Elixir only temporarily works’? Check. ‘Extremely dangerous’? Check!” 

Amity took the book back from Willow, reading more into the description of the beast. “‘Werewolves are extremely rare creatures, only existing through curses now as their natural predecessors were hunted to extinction in 1492. Commonly mistaken for wolf demons - the only difference between the two is that wolf demons have spikes and a corrosive venom.’” Amity paused and looked at Luz, noting that she indeed did not have spines or venom. “‘Werewolves are extraordinarily dangerous to those outside of its pack. A werewolf considers its family or friends part of said pack.’” 

“Awww,” Gus said, walking up to Luz and giving the beast a hug. “You consider us your pack? That’s so cute!” 

Amity and Willow laughed as Luz returned the kind gesture with a lick that knocked Gus onto his rear. Amity continued reading silently for a moment before frowning deeply. “What is it?” Willow asked, concerned. 

“‘Werewolves lose total control of themselves during the full moon. Their transformations are extremely excruciating that night. If you or a loved one is diagnosed with lycanthropy, please take the proper precautions. Lock the afflicted away in a safe and controlled environment and stay clear of the beast. Not even their pack is safe from their rage when the moon shines brightest.’” Amity frowned after reading the section of text, and then suddenly went wide-eyed. “Guys, when’s the next full moon?” 

Gus already had his scroll summoned, as he was taking selfies with Luz. He scrolled to the calendar app studying it with narrowed eyes before gasping over dramatically. “That’s not good.”

Amity and Willow glared at him after he didn’t say anything else. “Well?” Amity asked, frowning with her arms crossed. Behind her, Luz parroted her pose, letting out a low huff to mimic the green haired witch. 

Gus swallowed, wincing as he read the date again. “Well, uh, the next full moon is tomorrow night. And it also happens to be a Bloodmoon. Anything in there about what happens to a werewolf on a Bloodmoon?”

Willow took over for a moment, scanning through the page with her finger delicately tracing along the words. “It says here,” She cleared her throat. “‘On the night of a Bloodmoon, a werewolf’s curse is at its most dangerous. Paired with the total loss of any control, they develop immunity from their only weakness - pure silver. They are impossible to tame or to kill when the moon glows red upon them.’”

Amity breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, at least we don’t plan on killing Luz.” She took the book back from Willow, moving to the next page. “Oh! Here we go!” She smiled. “‘Lycanthropy fortunately has a cure. It’s in the form of an elixir, quite difficult to create. It requires the blood of the witch who cursed the werewolf, the juice of one moonfruit, and a petal of aconitum.’”

Amity stopped reading after Willow let out a groan. “So, we’ve already got the blood. That’s the easy part. But both of those plants only grow in one place.” She paused, not even wanting to say it. “Moonfruit trees and aconitum, also commonly known as wolfsbane, are only found at The Head.” 

“The Head?!” Gus gasped, almost falling off of his perch on Luz’s shoulders. “Aw, come on! Why do we have to go there of all places?” Luz looked up at him with confusion, then turned her confused look to the other two witches. She tilted her head, a quiet and low bark coming from her maw. The beast looked like she was attempting to ask “where?”

Amity sighed, turning her attention to her beastly friend. “The Head is the most uninhabited part of the Boiling Isles. There’s legends of witches and demons going up there, only to never return. There’s no telling what’s up there.” 

Luz felt her ears pin to her skull. She sunk to the floor with a whine, resting her head on her paws in a sulking manner. “Aw, don’t worry, Luz!” Willow came over and gave her a couple of comforting pats on the head. “We’re going to go up there and get you cured, no matter what. We might even be fine! After all, we have a big scary werewolf to protect us.” 

Amity stood up and stretched, closing the book. “Well, speaking of big scary werewolf,” She said, grabbing the Atlas and beginning to make her way towards the exit of the library. “Let’s get Luz back to the Owl House and get her changed back.” And with that, the three witches and beast exited the grand building, sneakily making their way back to the Owl House in the cover of the night. 


	10. The Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GORE WARNING. this chapter has a scene with teeth falling out. 
> 
> also angst warning, this chapter is the exact opposite of last chapter. shit goes real bad real fast y’all buckle in

With a yawn and a stretch, Luz sat up from her sleeping bag, a bright smile on her face. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes before standing up, a little confused on why she had so much energy, but very welcoming to it. Her back didn’t hurt at all right now, not even an ache. She twisted her body as much as she could to look at her wound, a confused frown etching itself on her face. Just yesterday, it was barely healed, threatening to break open at any second. But now, it was fully healed and formed a pretty rad looking scar that stretched up the right side of her back. 

She shrugged to herself. She was in too good of a mood to be concerned about an awful wound being mysteriously healed. The pep in her step was most likely caused by the events of yesterday. Though being conscious through most of her transformation sucked, she was grateful for it. And, she actually had vague memories of what happened while fully transformed. The feeling of Amity resting on her shoulder made Luz’s face heat up slightly, cherishing the thought for a moment before exiting her room. 

The scene she saw as she entered the living room made her blink in surprise. Willow, Gus, and Amity were all sitting on the couch, gathered around a rather large and dusty book. Curiosity got the best of her and she walked up to her friends, smiling. “Hey, guys!” She chirped. “Whatcha reading?” 

The human’s brow furrowed in confusion and worry as she was met with three sad and concerned looks. Amity stood up and walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder and guiding her over to the others to sit down. “We found out some information about your curse. You, uh... You might want to read it yourself.” Luz noticed that the pale witch hasn’t removed her hand from her shoulder yet, and even gave it a gentle and supportive squeeze. 

Luz blinked and took the hefty book from Gus, anxiety knotting up her stomach. She did NOT like how Amity said that they had found something out about her curse. The witch didn’t imply anything else after that. What could possibly be so bad? Was there no cure? Or was it something else? “Uhh, yeah, sure.” She mumbled out, not really wanting to read the book the more she worried. 

But, she read anyways. She immediately blinked in surprise as she read the big bold word at the top of the page. “I knew it!” She whispered to herself triumphantly. She was an actual, real werewolf. That was pretty dang cool if you asked her. Her transformations were caused by her emotions, so she would just have to learn how to calm down and be mellow. Mellow Luz? Now that was a weird thought. She breathed a sigh of relief when she read about a werewolf’s pack mentality. She would never have to worry about hurting her friends. She had a safe place within the Owl House. “What were you guys so upset about? This is great! I just have to learn to be calm, and whenever I go all werewolfy, you guys are safe!” 

All three of them collectively winced. “Just keep reading,” Gus said cryptically. “You’ll see soon enough.” 

“Okay,” Luz said flatly. “Mysterious.” She sighed and continued reading. After a few seconds, her eyes suddenly went wide and terrified. “O-oh...” Her voice cracked. Whenever a full moon comes around, she’ll lose absolute and total control over herself. That was terrifying to think about. But, it kind of made sense with what she knew about the myth from the human world. Whenever the light of the full moon shines upon her, she’ll undergo an agonizing and horrible transformation into a monster who only knew killing. “So, when’s the next full moon?” She asked, not really wanting to know the answer. 

“That’s the bad part.” Willow said softly, giving Luz a sympathetic look. 

Realization hit Luz like a truck. She put her elbows on the coffee table in front of the couch, putting her face in her hands. “ _Dios mio_ , don’t tell me it’s tonight.” 

“Yeah it’s tonight.” Gus said casually, earning a rough punch in the shoulder from Amity. “Ow! Hey!” 

The green haired witch gave the boy a wicked glare before turning her attention to Luz, sitting beside her and pulling her into a side hug. “Hey, it’ll be alright. We’ve already talked to the Owl Lady, and she said she would get a magically reinforced cage for you tonight.” When Luz’s only response was to let out a miserable groan, Amity sighed. “We’ll be with you the whole time, don’t worry. You’re not alone.” 

That seemed to help out a little. Luz took her face out of her hands and gave her friend a weak smile, shifting her body sideways to return Amity’s hug in full. “Thanks, Amity.” She breathed. 

Amity smiled and pulled away, slightly blushing. “You’re welcome.” 

Gus and Willow just sat there in awe. They exchanged a knowing look, grins growing ear to ear. They both knew what was going on. They could see it clear as day through the gentle pink that shined on both girls’ cheeks. The two witches dared not say anything, though. But they absolutely saw the spark between them. 

Luz frowned suddenly, brow furrowing in worry. “What time is it anyways? I want to know how long I have until,” She paused. “Well, you know.” 

Amity had a thoughtful look in her face. She too lost track of time waiting for Luz to wake up. With a quick spell, she summoned her scroll, looking up at the clock that sat in the top middle of her screen. Her eyes went wide and a frown etched it’s way onto her lips. “It’s 5:38 in the afternoon. Sunset is at 8:30 I believe.”

She flinched as Luz jumped to her feet. “WHAT?!” She shouted, both hands on her head as terror dulled her eyes. “It’s already late afternoon? Why didn’t anyone wake me up sooner? How did I even sleep for that long?!” She began to pace, one hand hand remaining on her head while the other was brought to her mouth, the human nervously chewing at her nails. “I only have three hours until this supposedly horrible transformation. W-we have to get Eda! Where is she?!”

Her friends just looked at her, concerned and a little bit scared. “She’s out at her stand. She should be back any minute though - the market closes at 5:30 now.” Willow said, looking at the door expectantly. 

Suddenly, the door burst open, leading to all four kids screaming in surprise. Sure enough, Eda and King stood in the open doorway. “We’re back!” The elder witch announced proudly. 

Eda was taken aback as Luz suddenly collapsed to her knees in front of her, grabbing at the hem of her dress with a frantic look in her eyes. “Eda!” She shouted. “Lock me up! Put me in a cage and throw away the key! The moon comes up in three hours!” 

Eda’s demeanor changed dramatically. She sighed, patting Luz on the head as the human clung to her leg, sniffling. “Alright, kid, calm down.” She pried the human off of her leg and she moved to the center of the living room, starting to clear the area to make room. 

The kids and King backed away as Eda drew a large spell circle on the ground that took up half the living room. A slight rumbling filled the room as a massive steel cage emerged from the circle, each metal bar slightly glowing with a silver hue. Eda stood with her arms crossed, a proud smirk on her face. “This here is the most secure cage in all of the Boiling Isles. It was enchanted a hundred years ago by the blacksmiths that made it, making the steel impossible to bend or break.” 

Luz took a step back from the prison, her breaths shallow. Her mind went back to the dark and damp tunnels of maximum security in the Conformitorium, Warden Wrath’s deep and heartless laughter still fresh in her mind. She flinched as she felt someone’s hand grab her own, but relaxed as she looked up to see Amity giving her a concerned but understanding look. The witch intertwined their fingers, giving Luz a gentle smile and a nod. She seemed to silently say, “It’s going to be alright.”

Luz took a deep breath and returned the nod, releasing Amity’s hand and stepping up to the cage. It was huge, coming all the way up to the ceiling and spanning nearly from wall to wall. With a gulp, the cursed human stepped through the open door of the prison, suppressing the knot in her throat as Eda shut the door and locked it. With a snap, the elder witch banished the key. 

“So... what now?” Amity asked Eda as Gus and Willow wandered back over to the couch, starting to read the Atlas again. “Do we just sit here and wait?” 

Eda sighed, thinking. “No,” she said eventually. “That would be agonizingly boring.” She rubbed her chin, eyes narrowing. Then, she perked up. “Have you kids ever heard of the game Hexes Hold ‘Em?” She asked with a mischievous grin. When she was met with four confused faces, she summoned a pack of cards and got to work. 

☾

The rest of the evening went by rather quickly. They had all gathered around in a circle, making sure to orient themselves in a way that included Luz in the circle. Eda explained the rules of the game, and the six of them divided into even teams. It was Luz, Amity, and King versus Gus, Willow and Eda. The four kids had quickly gotten the hang of the game, with Luz even providing quite the challenge for Eda. 

However, as the games went on, the group noticed Luz progressively looking sicker and sicker. The cursed human remained quiet about how she was feeling, choosing to ignore her discomfort through the game of cards, but her pale complexion and shallow, labored breaths gave away her condition. “And that’s...” She wheezed out, slamming down a card through the metal bars of her cage. “Game.” The wild card released a small burst of flames, engulfing the enemy team’s cards and signaling yet another victory. Luz then groaned, dropping her cards and clutching at her abdomen. 

The lighthearted air around the group quickly vanished. “Luz, are you alright?” Amity asked, moving forwards and grabbing the bars of the cage, peering through them with concern and fear flickering in her gaze. 

The cursed human was breathing in gasps, sweat dripping down her face. Her eyes were wide and dull, terrified and in pain at the same time. “No,” she eventually managed to mumble, voice strained. “I-I think it’s starting.” 

Willow, Gus, Eda and King already all backed away from the cage, gaining significant distance between them and their cursed friend. They watched as the horrible red light from the Bloodmoon slowly made its way through the windows, crawling ever so slowly down to Luz. As soon as a beam of bloody light hit her, a loud snap echoed through the house and her breath hitched in her throat. She looked down at her hands, biting her tongue to suppress a pained cry as her fingernails split open painfully, bloody talons growing from the bed of her nails. 

Amity backed away slightly as she saw the blood drip from Luz’s fingers. The cursed human looked up and met Amity’s gaze, her eyes wide and pleading for help. She looked like she was about to say something, but instead interrupted herself with an agonized scream as another series of snaps and cracks came from her hands. The reality of the situation hit Amity hard - Luz’s bones were all breaking and reforming. 

“I-I can’t watch,” Willow whimpered, her own face pale and tears threatening to break from her eyes. Gus led her into the kitchen, his complexion slightly green. King hesitantly followed them, giving Luz one last sad look before disappearing behind the threshold of the doorway. After watching Luz’s hands crack and stretch and change into paws, even Eda couldn’t stand it anymore. The elder witch regretfully wandered into the kitchen behind the others, sighing. 

Amity was the only one left in the room with Luz. The changes seemed to pause for a moment, leaving the cursed human panting. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked back up at Amity, the pain in her eyes enough to make the pale witch tear up. “A-Amity,” she whispered. “Please d-don’t go.” 

Amity stifled a sob, steeling her expression and clenching her fist. “I won’t. I’m staying right here with you.” Her heart warmed for a moment as a weak smile graced Luz’s lips. Their tender moment was quickly interrupted as Luz let out another pained scream, clapping a paw over her mouth as she stumbled away from Amity. The pale witch watched in horror as the cursed human supported herself with her free paw against the bars of the cage, leaning over and spitting out blood and... teeth. Fangs had grown in and pushed her teeth out of the way, resulting in them just falling out. 

Amity gagged as Luz spit out more blood, watching the horrible red liquid drip from her chin and pooling on the floor below. The witch backed away, a tear rolling down her cheek. She couldn’t do it. She desperately wanted to be there for her friend, but seeing Luz in this much pain was just... too much. She felt her heart snap as she retreated into the kitchen, feeling like the look of fear and betrayal Luz gave her before she exited the living room was a punch to the throat. 

Amity didn’t join the group of witches huddled around the counter in the center of the kitchen. Instead, she hovered around the doorway, a part of her still wanting to be close to her cursed friend. She flinched and choked back a pitiful cry as Luz screamed again, her skin crawling at the sounds of bones snapping and the beast-to-be’s agonized sobs. Amity has only ever sprained her ankle one time when she was a kid - she couldn’t even imagine the amount of excruciating pain Luz was going through right now. 

She jumped as a hand rested on her shoulder, looking up to see the Owl Lady standing behind her. The elder witch’s expression mirrored her own. Sad and terrified and worried. Her eyes met Amity’s for a moment, exchanging a pained glance with the young witch before she returned to staring at nothing, her golden eyes distant. 

The green haired witch suddenly felt anger take over her senses. “This... this isn’t fair.” She hissed to no one in particular. “Luz has transformed three times now with no problem. Why does this one have to be so painful? It doesn’t make sense.” Amity tensed up again as Luz let out one last ragged scream, which slowly deepened into an agonized and mournful roar. 

After that, silence. Horrible, bone-chilling silence. Amity’s worry got the better of her. She needed to go check on her friend. The witch hesitantly reentered the living room, her eyes going wide and a hand clapping over her mouth to stifle the gasp that threatened escape her lips. The scene before her was HORRIBLE. The werewolf was on her paws and knees in the center of the cage, eyes wide and blankly staring at the floor. The fur on her paws and muzzle was slicked back with her own blood, the horrible metallic smell making Amity’s nose scrunch up. The beast was trembling, the agony of the transformation still fresh in her body. Weirdest of all, a strange, red foam seeped from the corners of her maw, dripping down and mixing with the blood that pooled on the cage floor. 

Amity took a step back as the beast stood up with a grunt, her eyes still wide. The witch narrowed her own in confusion. Something was wrong with Luz. Very, very, very wrong. The trembling subsided, only to be replaced with a weird and unnerving twitching. The monster’s eyes had a strange hollowness to them, absolutely no intelligence shining within the bright yellow orbs. 

Amity let out a surprised yelp as the beast suddenly snapped its head to face directly at her, her fangs being bared a lot wider than normal. This was not right AT ALL. Amity has been on the receiving end of Luz before, but this was completely different. When she had first transformed all they way, Luz was more like a wild animal than anything. This, this was just pure and completely mindless rage. 

The green haired witch jumped backwards as the werewolf suddenly charged at the walls of the cage, the impact sending tremors throughout the house. Eda, King, Willow and Gus sprinted into the room, all tensed with expressions of terror and worry. Luz slammed against the wall again, an enraged roar assaulting the fives’ eardrums. As the beast backed up, readying another charge, Amity noticed the tiniest movement on the corners of the cage. Horrified, she saw that the rivets holding the walls of the cage together were coming loose. “Eda, the rivets!” She shouted, pointing. 

The Owl Lady gasped, disbelief in her eyes. “Alright, everyone out!” She ran over to the door, throwing it open and ushering the kids and demon out of the house. She summoned her staff quickly from her room before slamming the door shut, backing away from the house. “King, take the kids into town and get them to their families.” She said sternly. Eda took a deep breath and twirled her staff in the air for a moment, magical energy building up and sparking off of the wooden tool. She slammed the end on the ground with a grunt, an orange wall of magic surrounding the house. 

Before the little demon could carry through with Eda’s order, a loud, heavy bang came from inside the house. It sounded like something large and metallic hit the ground, and not a second later, Hooty let out a scream as the door was torn from its hinges. “GUYS?! HOOT HOOT!! WHATS GOING ON?!?” His voice was frantic as the dark beast stood in the empty doorway, holding the door in one paw at her side. 

To everyone’s horror, the beast broke through the doorway, once again leaving a gaping hole in the front of the house, and began beating the magical force field with the door. “Alright, new plan.” Eda said, backing away from the crazed beast as fractures formed where she was beating the force field with an unconscious Hooty. “RUN!” Four out of the five people all took off in different directions as Luz broke through the barrier with a snarl, but not Amity. She stood, frozen with terror as the beast stared her down, hollow eyes wide and angry and... Amity felt a tear run down her cheek as she recognized betrayal in the beast’s psychotic gaze. 

The witch had barely any time to react as the beast suddenly charged at her with a roar. She was flung backwards a good distance as Luz swiped at her, flying into the underbrush of the treeline with a scream. She felt something on her stomach. Something WRONG. Amity didn’t waste any time checking, though. Adrenaline now coursing through her system, she jumped to her feet and took off as fast as she could through the trees. 

She didn’t know where she was going, and she sure hoped the werewolf didn’t either. For the most part, she ran straight forward, trying to gain as much speed as possible, but she also made sudden and erratic turns with hopes to throw off her pursuer. But, that had no luck. The entire time she was running, she could practically feel the monster’s breath on her heels. She was close, and Amity was absolutely terrified. 

She didn’t know how long she was running for. Seconds, minutes, an hour. All she knew is that her legs ached and her lungs felt like they were being torn apart, but she knew she couldn’t stop. Twigs and branches and vines whipped at her body, her arms, and her face, leaving tiny scratches and cuts and bruises. She felt something warm and horrible on her stomach where Luz had hit her, but she dared not look down to check. 

Amity suddenly skid to a halt, letting out a surprised yelp. She stopped just barely from the edge of the cliff she had come across, staring down at the beach and sea below. Looking down over that far of a drop made her dizzy and sick to her stomach. The witch watched as the pebbles that clung to the edge of the cliff fell at her disturbance, dropping to the sea that was at least two hundred feet below her. She turned around to run in a different direction, but froze, her breath hitching in her throat as she came quite literally face to face with the werewolf. 

Amity was cornered. Trapped. She felt a sob escape her lips as the beast leaned in close, her jaws parting with a low and menacing snarl. Luz’s breath reeked of her own blood, a smell that made Amity’s brain fully realize the mortal peril she was in. She leaned back as far as she could as the monster’s jaws hovered just inches away from her throat, tears freely streaming down her face. “L-Luz, please...” she choked out. 

Amity’s fear was replaced with confusion momentarily. She watched as the beast winced, a look of grief and recognition flashing across her vision. Luz took a few steps back, her expression torn between mindless rage and horrible guilt. The beast let out a sob, tears rolling down her cheeks and staining her fur. Her paws went to her head, and she let out a roar of agony and fury. 

“AMITY! NO!” The green haired witch barely registered what happened as she was suddenly shoved to the ground. She heard thundering pawsteps as Luz charged, she heard shouting, and a scream that slowly decreased in volume as the source fell down the cliff. Amity felt her blood run cold in realization as a terrified howl split the air, and peered over the edge of the cliff to see the beast and a smaller, greyish figure plummeting to the rocky beach below. 

Amity stayed on the ground as she heard several people sprinting over to her. She looked up with dazed eyes to see Gus, Willow and King rush to her aid. Her adrenaline finally wore off, only to be replaced with horrible pain coming from her abdomen. She looked down, feeling light headed as she saw four jagged gashes going across her stomach, steadily leaking blood. The last thing she saw before passing out was Willow frantically getting more of those “goldenrod” seeds out of her pocket. 


	11. The Apology

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PSHSGSHSHDG HEY HOWDY! it’s been a minute, and i do apologize about that. moving into college is very very hectic.
> 
> well hey! the story isn’t dead and neither am i! updates are going to be a little bit slower now though. 
> 
> hope y’all are doing good. i know school has started back up for some folks and i know it’s stressful. just remember stress is temporary! ♥️

Eda stared blankly ahead, eyes wide. She took deep breaths to calm herself down, her grip on her staff like a vise. Before she could plummet to her demise, she had thankfully managed to summon Owlbert just in the nick of time. She was hanging from the staff that hovered just ten feet from the sharp and jagged rocks that lined the beach below. Even with her own curse, Eda didn’t think she could survive a two hundred foot drop onto killer rocks. 

The elder witch turned her attention to the great beast that laid motionless below her. She pulled herself up onto her staff with a grunt, flying down to get a closer look at the former human. Luz had thankfully landed in a patch of soft white sand, but she was out cold. Eda poked at the werewolf’s snout with the end of her staff, making sure that her apprentice was completely and totally unconscious before moving to see if she had a pulse. She put her head against the black beast’s chest, breathing a sigh of relief as she heard a strong heartbeat and ragged breathing. She was alive. 

Her relief was replaced with worry as she remembered that the beach was still bathed in the horrid red glow from the Bloodmoon. Luz was alive, but she was still extremely dangerous. With regret pulling her mouth into a frown, she mounted her staff and flew up and away from the werewolf. She needed to check on the kids. During her split second encounter with Amity, she had noticed a color that the young witch rarely wore. Red. 

As Eda came over the edge of the cliff, Gus, Willow and King all snapped their gazes towards her. Their eyes were wide with worry as Amity was draped across Willow’s lap. The plant witch was pressing her hands firmly to Amity’s stomach, her hands coated in a strange and slightly glowing golden ointment. Her years in the Potions track at Hexside suddenly came back to her as she recognized the ointment. “Where did you get goldenrod?” Eda asked Willow, moving to kneel next to Amity. 

“I always carry seeds with me.” Willow said simply, voice cracking with terror as she removed her now bloody and golden hands. “D-do you think she’s going to be okay?” Tears has sprung up in the corners of her eyes, lip quivering as her mind thought the worst for her friend. 

Eda looked down at Amity’s wound, her brow furrowed. The gashes were pretty deep, and the elder witch was surprised that she wasn’t gutted on the spot. She blinked, however, as she saw the torn skin start to slowly come back together, bleeding halting completely. Eda let out a relieved sigh as the ointment worked its magic. “She’ll be fine.”

“And what about Luz?” Gus said, voice hoarse. It was clear by the thin streaks going down his face that he was crying prior to Eda’s arrival. “Is she okay?”

Eda stood up, worried frown back on her face. “Luz is... Well, I don’t know if she’s injured or not, but she’s alive.” Eda let out a sigh, suddenly feeling exhaustion overcome her body. The adrenaline from her free fall faded, being replaced with an almost lethargic and sore feeling. The elder witch scratched at her arms, not noticing the horrified looks the group was giving her. Then, it clicked. Her eyes flew wide as she felt the hard stalks of feathers on her skin, quickly looking down at her arms with a gasp. Her curse was back. Her surprise melted into annoyance, and an exasperated groan escaped her lips. “Alright, well, we best get back to the house. I think Luz will be fine down there, since that part of the beach is secluded from the rest.”

☾ 

The golden glow of the rising sun hit the stained glass windows of the Owl House, illuminating the interior of the structure with beautiful reds and yellows. A beam of said light happened to land upon Amity’s eyes, causing the young witch to groan and flutter her eyes open. She blinked, eyes half lidded, taking in her surroundings. She had gone from the edge of a cliff to the couch in the living room of the Owl Lady’s residence. Confused, she attempted to sit up, but a horrible burning in her abs stopped her dead in her tracks. Oh, yeah. How could she forget the awful wound she received from her cru- her best friend’s monstrous claws? 

She let out a weak sigh as she stared at the strangely beautiful ceiling of the Owl House. The building was a mess compared to her own home, but there was a strange, warm feeling to the decor. It was outlandish, with human trash and strange runes scattered here and there, but it was welcoming. Her home was the opposite. Blight Manor was bleak and dark, cold and very unwelcoming to guests. It was pretty much like a castle, but replace old, cold cobblestones with equally chilling siding. 

She was suddenly yanked from her thoughts as the Owl Lady herself entered the living room, giving the young witch a relieved look. “Oh, great, you’re awake.” Eda smiled, sitting down on the empty space next to Amity’s legs. “How are you feeling?”

Amity blinked in surprise, not expecting such a warm sentence to come out of the Boiling Isles’ most wanted criminal. “Uh, I’ve been better.” She said, voice strained. Talking made her barely healed wound hurt. “Where are the others?”

Eda rubbed at her chin, thinking for a moment. “Gus and Willow are still asleep upstairs in Luz’s room, I think.” Amity waited for the elder witch to continue, as she was missing someone pretty crucial to this whole situation.

“And Luz?”

Amity did NOT like the way Eda seemed to tense up at the mention of the human’s name, her golden eyes going wide. “Oh, uh…” She rubbed at the back of her neck sheepishly. “She’s, um, still down on the beach.”

“WHAT?” Amity jolted upright, her stomach screaming in protest. “You left her down there? Is she okay?”

“Calm down, kid!” Eda held her hands up defensively as Amity looked like she was about to rip her head off. “She’s… Well, she’s definitely alive. I left her down there because the moon was still up. She could’ve woken up and killed us. Plus, how the hell was I supposed to bring that massive hunk of flesh-eating monster up a two hundred foot cliff by myself?” By the time she was done talking, a glare had formed on her face, and her words were sharp. 

Amity took a moment to process Eda’s words. They made sense, but she was still pissed that Eda would leave her own apprentice alone, injured and afraid. Her anger immediately melted into a cold and heavy guilt that wormed its way into her heart as she remembered, SHE did that to Luz, too. Amity took a step back, a hand on her stomach and wincing.

Eda must have seen the sadness and guilt in her eyes. The elder witch sighed and stood up, and with a snap, her staff shot into her grasp. “Here, kid.” She said, her tone unusually somber. “I know you care about her, and she cares about you, too. So, you should be the first face she sees after last night.” She held out her staff, Owlbert’s wings spread and eyes glowing gold, prepared for flight. 

Amity swallowed the knot forming in her throat. Would Luz want to see her? She shook the terrifying thought from her head, turning around to exit the Owl House. Of course Luz would want to see her. Luz’s optimism could outlive anything. Pushing the rising anxiety in the pit of her stomach away, Amity shot into the air on Owlbert, flying up over the tree line to better orient herself. 

As she flew on the staff, Amity couldn’t help but admire this part of the Boiling Isles. It was wild, and beautiful. The sunrise went from gold to red, making the already red trees look like they were glowing. A small smile formed on Amity’s lips as she gazed upon the coastline, sheer cliffs and white sandy beaches adding a dangerous beauty to the place. Boulders and rocks lined the beaches at the base of the cliffs, worn smooth by the countless years the ocean beat against them. She had gotten caught up in the beauty of the outdoors, forgetting what she had come out here for. 

That is, until she spotted a lone figure sitting on a boulder. The figure was on a section of beach far secluded from the others, surrounded by nothing but sea and backed by a very tall cliff. Amity immediately recognized the ragged, bloody clothes and messy mop of brown hair. Chest tightening with worry, she flew down to meet her friend. 

The young witch landed silently on the beach, with nothing but the soft crunch of sand under her boots. As she looked at Luz, her brow furrowed in worry. The cursed human was sitting with her knees pulled into her chest, and she was trembling hard. Her brown eyes looked out across the sea, glazed over and almost lifeless. Dark streaks ran down her cheeks, a telltale sign that she was crying. Amity winced as she saw that Luz’s mouth and hands were caked with her own dried blood. 

With a deep breath, Amity began to move towards her friend. As soon as she took a step, she noticed Luz’s ear twitch slightly. That’s interesting. She clambered up onto the human’s perch with a grunt, frowning as Luz seemed to turn away from her slightly. Amity settled down with a sigh, sitting with her legs crossed. “Hey, Luz.” Her voice was low and somber. 

The cursed human didn’t reply, only sinking her head onto her knees. Several minutes of silence went by between the two. The gentle sounds of the ocean splashing against the beach and the cries of gull-like demons were the only things keeping Amity from going crazy at the lack of conversation with someone she considered to be so close to her. Finally, the young witch decided to break that silence. “Are... you okay?” She asked gently. 

A dry, emotionless chuckle came from Luz. “Am I okay?” The human parroted, voice low and quiet. Luz suddenly shot up to her feet, facing Amity with a very uncharacteristic glare. “AM I OKAY?! SERIOUSLY?” She shouted, causing Amity to gasp and scoot backwards a little bit, staring up at her friend with fear in her golden eyes. “You’re really asking if I’m okay. Oh! Yeah! Just peachy! Totally didn’t just go through a HORROR MOVIE WEREWOLF TRANSFORMATION WHERE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY BONES BROKE.”

Amity was completely dumbfounded. Luz was standing over her, trembling, tears running down her glaring face. The human’s fists were clenched, almost as if she was restraining herself from striking the green haired witch. Amity couldn’t think of anything else to say in her shocked state, other than a meek “I-I’m sorry, Luz.” 

“Oh, you’re sorry now, huh?” Another exaggerated and venomous chuckle. “And what do you have to be sorry for? Huh?” She leaned down and poked Amity in the chest, hard. “You. Left. Me.” She hissed out through gritted teeth. “You left me. Alone. In a cage. I-“ she interrupted herself with a sob, swallowing and taking a deep breath. “I asked you to stay. I asked you just to STAY with me. I would’ve done it for you. Why didn’t you stay?” Her voice conveyed so much pain and sadness that it made Amity feel her heart tear itself to shreds. 

“I - Luz, I’m-“ Amity stuttered, feeling her own eyes start to tear up. She couldn’t think of anything else to say. All she could think was how sorry she was. “I should’ve stayed. I should’ve stayed with you the whole time but seeing you in that much pain was KILLING me and I-“ The witch closed her eyes for a second, trying to squeeze the tears back into her eyes but failing miserably. “I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry.” Despite the pain in her abdomen, Amity moved on autopilot and wrapped her friend in a hug.

She felt Luz’s body go rigid at her touch. Amity readied herself to be hit, shoved away, shoved to the ground, anything. But, those things didn’t happen. Instead, Luz melted into her arms, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. Her body shook with the occasional sob and sniffle, and she clung onto Amity tightly. “Please don’t leave me again.” The cursed human breathed, burying her face in the crook of the witch’s neck. 


	12. The Journey - Pt1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhhhh so it’s been a minute
> 
> y’all i am sO sorry. college has been beating me up. 
> 
> two months? three months? anyways, it’s unacceptable. but hey! i’m here now! 
> 
> can’t promise the next chapter will be soon, but it will DEFINITELY not be another two or three month wait. 
> 
> anywho, enjoy :)

It’s been two weeks since the whole Bloodmoon fiasco. Two whole weeks since Luz lost complete and total control of herself and went through that traumatizing transformation. The sensation of every one of her bones snapping and reforming was still fresh in her memory. The burning feeling on her skin as fur grew caused her skin to crawl once more. 

She refused to let that trauma bring her down, however. It sucked, a lot, but she’s not alone. She has her friends, her mentor, and her little demon companion. The cursed human perked up as thinking of her friends reminded her of something. Today was the last day of the semester! Which meant, her friends are going to be on break before the next semester started! Which meant, today is the day they embark on their journey to the Head of the Boiling Isles to find her a cure!

Luz jumped out of her sleeping bag with newfound energy. She quickly changed from her pajama shorts to her leggings and shorts, which were still torn. But, hey, when you’re a werewolf with zero control over her transformations, who needs new clothes? Plus, Luz kind of liked the roguish look it had. What werewolf wouldn’t like the look torn leggings gave her? She looked awesome. 

She recently made a wardrobe update, though. Instead of her signature cat hoodie, she opted just to wear her grey pajama tank top. A few nights ago, Eda had found her fully transformed while having a nightmare. After sitting down and comforting the beast, coaxing her back to her normal form, they both noticed how her pajamas stretched to fit her huge wolffish body rather than tear. Plus, Luz didn’t really want to wear her hoodie that was still stiff with dried blood. 

Luz opened the door and bolted down the stairs excitedly, pausing at the bottom at the scent of some Boiling Isles version of bacon. She breathed deeply through her nose, mouth parted slightly, smiling in bliss as her stomach growled at her to find the source of the smell. 

Eda peeked around the threshold of the doorway to the kitchen, grinning. “Mornin’, kid!” The elder witch said, turning her attention back to the pan on the magical stove-looking thing. 

Luz hurried into the kitchen, eyes twinkling with wonder at the strange meat cooking in the pan. “Oh my gosh Eda that smells so good.” She said quickly. “What is it?”

Eda smirked, ruffling Luz’s hair. “Something special. Figured I’d make you a treat this morning, since today is a big day and all.” The witch moved the pan from the stovetop and to the counter behind them, using tongs to get the crispy strips onto a platter. She snorted in amusement at the hungry twinkle in the werewolf’s eyes, waving a hand dismissively. “Go on, dig in.” 

And Luz dug in. She looked almost feral as she shoved her hands in the pile of bacon, shoveling handfuls into her mouth as she scarfed the food down, letting out little growls and such in between bites. Eventually, she slowed down, almost as if she was coming back to her senses. “Myou know, Eda,” Luz started through a mouthful of bacon. She swallowed before continuing. “I think this curse effects my appetite, too.” 

Eda chuckled, sitting down next to her at the counter. “Ya think?” She asked sarcastically, grabbing a piece of bacon and chewing on it thoughtfully. “I’m proud of you, kid.” She smiled. “You’re handling this curse pretty well. You sure you wanna find a cure? You’ve got a pretty cool power now.” 

Luz thought for a moment, looking at the counter. “Honestly, it is pretty cool, being a werewolf. I don’t hurt my loved ones, I’m super strong, big and fluffy, and I can still kind of think when I’m all the way wolfy.” Then, a deep frown etched itself on her face and her eyes became a little glossy. “I... I can’t do another full moon.” 

Eda sighed, nodding knowingly and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I understand, kid. The transformations are painful, but that...” She gave Luz’s shoulder a little squeeze. “I don’t want you to go through that again either.” 

The two sat there in silence for a moment, just enjoying each other’s company as Luz finished her breakfast. The cursed human pushed the empty plate away from her, wiping her mouth clean with the back of her hand. “Thanks for breakfast, Eda!” She chirped, happiness returned to her eyes. The older witch just smiled and ruffled her hair as she stood up, grabbing the plate and moving to the sink. 

“HOOT HOOT! COMPANY!” A shrill voice suddenly shrieked out right next to Luz’s ear. She instinctually whipped around with a snarl, newly formed claws slashing at whatever scared the absolute hell out of her. Luz blinked as tan feathers floated around where her claws struck, and guilt filled her belly as she stared at Hooty with four dark scratch marks going diagonally across his face. “OW! JEEZ!” 

“Oh my gosh, sorry Hooty!” Luz called out as the bird tube slowly slinked out of the window he had came through. “You just scared me, sorry!” Luz sighed, looking down at her now monstrous hands. Well, she’s stuck with these until she transforms all the way and turns back. She swallowed back a growl of frustration and went to the front door to greet her friends. 

The cursed human opened the door, wide smile revealing the little fangs that had grown in. Amity, Gus, and Willow all stood outside the house with backpacks stuffed with the essentials for a long trip, all smiling at the sight of their cursed friend. Amity, however, took one look at Luz’s outfit and turned beet red. “Hey, Luz!” Willow chirped, wrapping the girl in a hug. When she pulled away from the hug, she noticed Luz’s paws and her now golden eyes. “What happened?” The plant witch said flatly. 

Luz rubbed the back of her neck with a shy grin. “Hooty decided he wanted to sneak up on me and announce your arrival. Right by my ear. Really loudly.” Willow had an unamused look on her face. “But hey! It’s okay! I’ll go back to normal after I turn all the way.” 

Willow still looked unamused, but was distracted as Gus jumped forwards to embrace Luz in a warm hug. “We’re going on our first camping trip together! Isn’t this exciting?” He released his friend, eyes gleaming. 

“Yeah!” Luz matched his excitement. “I can’t wait to huddle around a campfire with you guys and tell ghost stories an-“ 

“Ghost stories? Why would you tell stories about ghosts?” Amity chimed in, her confused expression matching the other two witchlings. 

“Ohh, yeah, forgot ghosts were a real thing here.” Luz chuckled awkwardly. “Well, I’ll let you guys tell me some Boiling Isles scary stories.”

The kids were interrupted by the door suddenly bursting open, revealing Eda with her own backpack and assortment of travel gear, King perched proudly on her shoulder. “Alright, kids! It’s go-time!” She announced, and with that, the gang embarked on their journey. 

Many sets of eyes from the bushes behind the Owl House watched the group set off in the direction of the Head. They all narrowed, silently slinking through the shadows to stay on their prey’s trail. They couldn’t afford to lose this score. 

☾

The gang had been walking for a few hours now, past Bonesborrough and deep into the woods between the city and the Knee. The path ahead of them was lined with gorgeous red trees, leaves lazily falling onto the thin red underbrush below. Sunlight danced through the foliage, painting the scene in beautiful golds and ambers. 

Luz’s now wolf-like ears twitched at every single sound in the underbrush. She could pinpoint every footstep of a tiny mouse-like demon, every time a rabbit-like demon scratched behind its ear, the heartbeat of a little dragon that must’ve been the Boiling Isles version of a bird, even the breathing of her own companions. 

Being in this new area, this beautiful area, this area full of life and opportunity for fun... she couldn’t resist. A warm, savory scent suddenly wafted through the air, and instantly Luz felt her mind go blank. They had been waking for hours, and she was STARVING. Her legs shifted, she dropped to all fours, and took off into the underbrush towards the scent with an excited growl.

She was met with a collective “Luz?!” from her companions, but they quickly realized she was not going to care about their voices. Eda let out a groan, laying her backpack on the ground and removing King from her shoulder. “Kids, stay here. I’ll go after her.” The witch then took off after Luz, following the path she trampled in the bushes. 

The kids and King all sat and listened at the sounds of pawsteps that gradually got heavier, a snarl, and the squeal of a rabbit-demon. Then, they heard the sounds of Eda cursing and a yelp. Behind them, a twig snapped loudly, causing Gus to jump and whip around. The only thing behind them was bushes. “Guys, did you hear that?” He asked, feeling a bit unnerved. 

“Probably just a demon or something.” Amity waved it off casually, focusing on the sounds in front of them instead. Grumbles and whines got closer until eventually, Eda and a fully transformed werewolf emerged from the bushes. The witch was dragging Luz by the ear, releasing once they got back onto the path. 

The werewolf sat on her haunches, ears flat to her head and an ashamed look on her face. “Don’t go running off like that!” Eda scolded. “Your instincts are still in control, kid. You could’ve just... vanished into the woods.” Luz whined, sinking to the forest floor, pouting. Eda sighed, running her fingers through the fur on the top of Luz’s head. “Now come on. I’ve got some food in here for you if you’re hungry.” The witch reached into a bag on her side, pulling out a whole, dead rabbit demon. Luz’s eyes lit up, the beast instantly sitting up straight and catching the prey in her jaws as Eda threw it up in the air. 

“Gross,” Willow cringed, sticking her tongue out in disgust as Luz crunched harshly down on the rabbit once, swallowing it whole. 

The group once again set out on their journey, still a few hours away until sundown. Luz pranced in circles around the group, sniffing at anything that caught her attention or playfully nudging at her friends. Her thunderous pawsteps seemed to drown out every other sound around the gang, along with her panting and happy growls. 

Amity was inattentively kicking a stick while she walked, bored and a little tired. She didn’t really notice Luz watching the stick intently until the witchling kicked it quite far. The werewolf had leaped forwards, snatching the stick in her jaws. Her tail wagged violently as she dropped the stick back at Amity’s feet, the young witch giving her a confused look. She bent down and picked it up, raising an eyebrow as she noticed the werewolf’s gaze was locked onto the stick. “Uhhh... Do you want me to... throw it?” 

She was met with an excited, deep bark, the beast lowering her chest towards the ground while her rear remained in the air. It was like a playful crouch other canine-like pets did. Amity grinned, bringing her arm back, and flinging the stick as far as she could. Luz took off after it, kicking up a little bit of dirt. The rest of the gang laughed as Luz caught the stick mid-air, landing roughly on her back with a thud. 

The group continued to play and walk, laughing at the antics Luz pulled all the way. Eventually, the gang came upon a clearing with a small stream in the center. “Alright,” Eda popped her back with a grunt. “Suns goin’ down, so its time to set up camp. This is as good as we’re gonna get out here.” She dropped her backpack down, drawing a spell circle in the air. The items in her backpack floated out, tent assembling itself, campfire lighting itself, and an array of cooking ware set itself up over the fire. The kids followed suit with their own tents, while Luz just simply flopped down on her back by the fire. 

Time passed quickly as the forest darkened and cooled, sun vanishing below the horizon. Exhausted from the day’s trek, each witch retired to their respective tents, leaving Luz and King to sleep by the fire. About an hour of peace and quiet went by before the bushes around the clearing rustled, footsteps hurrying around quietly, but not quiet enough. Luz’s ear twitched at the sound of footsteps, and she instantly shot up. A deep, bone-chilling growl rumbled from her chest woke up the rest of the group. “Luz? What’s wrong?” Eda asked, quickly rubbing sleep from her eyes and grabbing Owlbert. 

One at a time, their stalkers finally revealed themselves. Each witch and demon was cloaked in brown robes, belts lined with skulls and claws and medallions of bone. Luz snarled and whipped around and the group summoned defensive spells, eyeing their foes warily. 

“Demon hunters.” Eda hissed. 


	13. Hiatus

hey y’all. it’s been a minute. i’m currently goin thru some shit and probably won’t be able to update this story for a long long while. i’m sorry for making empty promises to update this. 

also to the motherfucker who keeps spamming me, fuck off. i’ve told you multiple times that i’m busy with a life that doesn’t give a shit if i update this or not. it’s a fanfiction. get a life bro and leave me alone. if i keep getting spammed, i’m literally just going to delete this whole story. 

anyways, sorry y’all had to see that, but sometimes publicly calling a bitch out is what u have to do. 

love y’all, stay safe, thanks for reading my story. <3


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